Frenzy Crop Systems, Inc.
Dr. Peet helped to establish Frenzy Crop Systems, Inc. and build the company’s patent portfolio covering methods and chemical formulations for improving plant agronomic traits.
Keygene N.V.
Dr. Peet assisted Keygene N.V. in securing U.S. patents with claims directed to use of next-generation DNA sequencing to identify genetic variations in plants. Based on these patents, Keygene sued Floragenex for patent infringement resulting in a negotiated settlement in which Floragenex agreed to pay Keygene royalties for use of the patented technologies.
Unilever
Dr. Peet represented Unilever on intellectual property matters related to the company’s acquisition of Ben & Jerry’s for $326 million and SlimFast for $2.3 billion. The acquisitions, announced on the same day, generated a lot of press. For example, the first paragraph in an article in Food Ingredient Online entitled “Unilever Covers the Bases with Slim-Fast and Ben & Jerry's Acquisitions” reported “Ok, what's it going to be? A dish of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey premium ice cream as I settle into my comfy sofa to watch some after-dinner TV? Or do I skip dinner, toss back an Ultra Slim-Fast French Vanilla shake, throw on my sweats and get down to the gym for that master aerobics class? Hmmm… tough choice. But either way, Unilever wins.”
Monsanto
Monsanto paid $150 million to purchase Agracetus and its patents broad claims to transgenic cotton plants. In 2000, Dr. Peet played a critical role in assisting Aventis Cropscience and Dr. Norma Trolinder in their lawsuit against Monsanto in which Dr. Trolinder was successfully added as an inventor to the transgenic cotton patents. Dr. Trolinder assigned her ownership rights in the patents to Aventis Cropscience. As a result, Aventis Cropscience co-owned the transgenic cotton patents with Monsanto and had freedom-to-operate to sell transgenic cotton seeds. In 2001 Bayer paid approximately €7.25 billion to acquire Aventis Cropscience, in part driven by Aventis’ ability to commercialize transgenic cotton in competition with Monsanto.
Pioneer Hi-Bred
J. E. M. Ag Supply, Inc. v. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., 534 U.S. 124 (2001) in which the Supreme Court ruled that utility patents could be issued for crops and other flowering plants. The court also rejected the argument that the Plant Variety Protection Act (PVPA) and the Plant Patent Act (PPA) are the only ways to protect these plant innovations.