S.D. firm accused of exporting protected seed varieties to China

Seeds were developed by Ag Experiment Station at SDSU

The South Dakota Board of Regents is accusing a commercial seed company of selling protected seed varieties to China, violating the state’s patent-like protection for the seeds.

In its lawsuit filed against Green Thumb Commodities, the Board of Regents alleges that Green Thumb violated the federal Plant Variety Protection Act. Under the law, breeders of proprietary seed varieties are granted 20 years of protection that prevents others from selling or reproducing the seed.

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The Regents contend that it had protections under the Plant Variety Protection Act for six varieties of oat seeds. Those seeds were developed by researchers at the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at South Dakota State University.

Created in 1887, the Agricultural Experiment Station’s mission is to conduct research to enhance the quality of life in South Dakota.

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