This article presents an overview of the legal liability issues in torts …

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Tort Liability
• Patent Infringement Cases
• Conclusion
• References

INTRODUCTION 

AS AMERICAN AGRICULTURE adopts plants created by biotechnology, questions arise as to what legal risks accompany this adoption of transgenic crops. More specifically for this article, questions arise as to what torts (a private civil action alleging injury or wrong to person or property) might exist that may impose legal liability relating to the growing of transgenic crops. In addition, questions arise as to what patent claims exist that may impose legal liability on farmers growing transgenic crops. This article focuses on these tort and patent questions to discuss legal liability in agricultural biotechnology. Legal liability is discussed about the growing and marketing of transgenic crops generally, although at times seed production, coexistence with organic farming, and pharmaceutical crops are the examples used to illustrate the legal liability issues. The article begins with torts and ends with patents.