The Supreme Court heard oral argument on October 3, 2001 in J.E.M. AG Supply v. Pioneer Hi-Bred, No. 99-1996, an appeal challenging whether plant inventions are eligible for utility patent protection. Powell Goldstein filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, arguing that Congress's other statutes protecting less innovative advances in plant technology do not foreclose the grant of patents for plant inventions that meet the high standards of the utility patent statute. Please click on the PDF to view.