b'Americas IP Framework is SQUEEZING OUT INDEPENDENT SEED COMPANIES, IPSA SaysIn a letter to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, the U.S.-based Independent Professional Seed Association calls the countrys current business environment a threat to American competitiveness.Marc ZienkiewiczIN A LETTER TOAg Secretary Tomallows companies to increasingly control aAbout 90% of the commercial varie-Vilsack, the Independent Professionalbigger portion of germplasm. ties are owneddirectly or indirectly Seed Association (IPSA) calls the coun- Were in a business environmentthrough licensingby two companies. trys current business environment awhere four companies control the majorBayer Crop Science recently declared its threat to American competitiveness. germplasm in cotton and corn, and con- germplasm ownership share at 55% and Thats according to IPSA CEO Toddtrol all the vital technology in those crops,35% can be attributed to Cortevaa Martin, who recently penned a letter toplus soybeans. Its an extreme level ofconcentration far higher than in any other Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack oncompetition and an extreme level of con- country, the letter notes.behalf of IPSA members in response tocentration of competition, Martin says.the USDAs request for comment on theIn the letter, IPSA notes that fourCaught in the Middleintellectual property system as it regardscorporations account for 85% and 76%In the middle of all this are independent seed and other agricultural inputs. of corn and soybean seed markets.seed companies that license intellectual In an interview with Seed World, MartinFurthermore, genetically modified seedproperty in the form of traits and genetics says independent seed companies areprices rose more than 700% betweenfrom these suppliers, and also compete being hit hard by a business environment2000 and 2015. against these suppliers in the marketplace.that is getting harder to operate in, inEven more concentrated is theSmall businesses, which include part due to the IP framework that he saysownership of corn elite germplasm.independent seed companies, are real economic engines in communities. They create real jobs. They generate real economic benefits much more so than corporations do with their thousands of people employed. Were talking about millions of people in the United States employed by small businesses, Martin says. This is not something we can lose.At the heart of IPSAs concerns about intellectual property are the rules con-cerning patents in the United States.Innovation needs to be rewarded, Martin says. The current patent system rewards innovators for 20 years. The very reason patents expire is to allow others to improve on existing technology. A system that continues to hold innovations too closely and does not allow outside improvement must be changed.Martin notes that IPSA members are very concerned about adequate access 4/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2022'