"http://www.iraqcoalition.org/
regulations/20040426_CPAORD_81_Patents_Law.pdf

The updated law makes saving seeds for next year's harvest, practiced by 97% of Iraqi farmers in 2002, the standard farming practice for thousands of years across human civilizations,

http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/iraq_seeds.htmnow illegal.

Instead, farmers <http://www.grain.org/articles/?id=6will have to obtain a yearly license for genetically-modified seeds from American corporations. These GM seeds have typically been modified from IP developed over thousands of generations by indigenous farmers like the Iraqis, shared freely like agricultural 'open source.' Other IP provisions for technology in the law further integrate Iraq into the American IP economy."

http://politics.slashdot.org/politics/04
/11/13/2023220.shtml?tid=191&tid=155&tid=219

http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/iraq_seeds.htm

http://www.iraqcoalition.org/regulations
/20040426_CPAORD_81_Patents_Law.pdf

http://www.grain.org/articles/?id=6

As part of sweeping "economic restructuring" implemented by the Bush Administration in Iraq, Iraqi farmers will no longer be permitted to save their seeds. Instead, they will be forced to buy seeds from US corporations -- including seeds the Iraqis themselves developed over hundreds of years. That is because in recent years, transnational corporations have patented and now own many seed varieties originated or developed by indigenous peoples. In a short time, Iraq will be living under the new American credo: Pay Monsanto, or starve.

regards,

Eric Sean Webber

http://www.monkey.org/~timothy/"
FROM: http://www.rense.com/general59/newiraqlawoutlaws.htm

Do they put a little trademark logo on every seed?

Next week, Monsanto intends to illustrate how this trademark protection is expansive enough to include the beef on the cow that eats the grain, not to mention the fertilizer potential of cow turds.

Next on the agenda -- salad bar licensing requirements.

There are some sick people in this world, Code. They'd rather see these poor people starve than lose one damn dollar, wouldn't they?

Yeap, can't have some little thing like mother nature interferring with the holy grail, profit.

Funny thing is Monosoto got their original working stock to modify the same as the Iraq farmers. They grew it. Farmers have been growing food far longer than Monosoto has been in business. This is another money hungry corporation that is afraid its profits are being stolen. So much so they now seem to want to sue them into submission. Corporations are no substitute for mother nature. Mother nature has been dealing with reproduction far longer than the babe in the woods Monosoto.

I Guess Iraq will NEVER develop a technology sector now.. I'm beginning to see why US representatives are so keen to push the DMCA off on developing nations... as long as it's in place it arrests their development and keeps them out of competition with the US.

What a crock.. i cant wait for iraqis to have the law repealed immediately upon removal of american presence.

The slashdot comments make exactly the points i would..

I hope this further ingrains anti-american sentiment in the middle east.. I can't wait until the euro replaces the dollar as the oil currency.

The Saudis own roughly 5% of OUR national debt. All they have to do to screw our nation is to sell off their dollars for euros. The hyperinflation will ruin our economy.

I'm an american.. but i honestly hope they do it.. because i'm starting to actively hate my government, and all we need now is a serious depression to motivate an overthrow.

I read about Monsanto's claims on CodeWarrior's websites. They have been suing farmers for years now.
"Since 1997, Monsanto has filed similar lawsuits 90 times in 25 states against 147 farmers and 39 agriculture companies, according to a report issued Thursday by The Center for Food Safety, a biotechnology foe."

"The company itself says it annually investigates about 500 "tips" that farmers are illegally using its seeds and settles many of those cases before a lawsuit is filed."
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBXKA5WX3E.html

Gee, who does that remind you of?

I find it funny that republicans shout to the rafters about malpractice tort reform but support parasitic organziations like this as they crawl over the countryside divesting the masses of their life savings.

"The company itself says it annually investigates about 500 "tips" that farmers are illegally using its seeds and settles many of those cases before a lawsuit is filed."

All it takes is a truck driving by with Monsanto seeds in it blowing off the truck and into a farmers field.

A DVD titled "The Future of Food" goes into detail of what has been going on with Monsanto and to which U.S. government officials (any guess?) allowed seeds to be patented.

I first knew about Monsanto via an exhibition at Disneyland in the 60's. Would have never guessed that they were into this kind of crap. Good clean family entertainment.

Code, your title for this article and subject sums it up very well.

Insane.

This is the corporate version of the Inquisition. When I argue on the side of freedom in many forums, I contantly get lectured that we are a Capitalist society and get to hear the virtues of capitalism. I agree. I am a capitalists. I believe in fair competition. I however do not believe that the Multinational Cartels in whatever business has the right to shut out competition. I also do not believe that cartels should be able to purchase laws (or court decisions)that restrict the freedom of the little guy out to compete with them. This is exactly what is happening in the Iraqi seed scandal. Are the Iraqi farmers being paid by Monsanto for their intellectual property (years of selective breeding?) Do they get to force Monsanto to sign licencing agreements? If not why not? It's a capitalist society isn't it? This is one story that everyone has to duty to blog and spread about. ENOUGH
IS ENOUGH!