在周一发布的一致裁决中，美国最高法院在具有里程碑意义的案件中裁定孟山都公司胜诉， 鲍曼诉孟山都，以保护知识产权为中心。
“The Court’s ruling today ensures that longstanding principles of patent law apply to breakthrough 21。 century technologies that are central to meeting the growing demands of our planet and its people,” said David F. Snively, general counsel of Monsanto. “The ruling also provides assurance to all inventors throughout the public and private sectors that they can and should continue to invest in innovation that feeds people, improves lives, creates jobs, and allows America to keep its competitive edge.”
2007 年，孟山都公司起诉印第安纳州农民弗农·休·鲍曼 (Vernon Hugh Bowman)，这场官司开始了。1999 年，鲍曼从谷物升降机上购买了用于第二次季节性种植的种子。根据法庭文件，他和其他人将他们的转基因作物卖给了同一个电梯，该电梯将大豆作为商品出售，而不是作为种植种子出售。鲍曼告诉孟山都他的活动：他正在重新种植收获的作物，用他在电梯里买的更多大豆来补充种植。孟山都声称专利侵权，因为他未经孟山都许可使用了种子，而鲍曼则声称专利在第一次销售种子时就用完了。
孟山都公司于 2009 年在地区法院胜诉，联邦巡回法院维持原判。鲍曼提出上诉，美国于5月13日维持原判。
The Court’s ruling comes at a time when the role of technology and innovation in meeting the demands of our world has never been more important, Monsanto said. A wide range of independent organizations and individuals expressed support for the preservation of intellectual property rights, including: the American Soybean Association, the American Seed Trade Association, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, a coalition of leading universities (including the University of California, Duke University, Emory University, the University of Illinois, Iowa State, the University of Kansas, Kansas State, the University of Missouri-Columbia, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and other university organizations such as the Association of American Universities, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities), the Intellectual Property Owners Association, the Washington Legal Foundation, and the Business Software Alliance (whose members include Apple and Microsoft).