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Environmental campaigners are protesting that a new patent acquired by
Monsanto could stifle scientific research. The patent, granted in the US in
January, is for the insertion of antibiotic resistance genes as markers during
experiments. Rural Advancement Foundation International, a lobby group based in
Canada, says that the patent will enable Monsanto to charge researchers to use a
common tool in genetic engineering. The company denies this, saying it has
allowed free use since it first invented the technology 18 years ago.