Monsanto has a patent on Roundup Ready seeds in the EU but not in Argentina, where the seeds were introduced in 1996 without a patent. Monsanto says companies in Europe are illegally importing soymeal made from soybeans that Argentine farmers are using without paying royalties. An opinion letter by the European Commission`s legal experts found that EU law governing the protection of biotech inventions doesn't extend to derivatives of patented products.</p><p><a href="http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=newsletter&topic_id=5&subtopic_id=25&doc_id=13292">checkbiotech.org: European Commission supports Argentina in Monsanto battle</a>