Ending patent protection usually requires a law suit, because the patent owner files follow-on patents of lesser merit to extend the patent period, and a court has to decide at what point the incremental patents are invalid.

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There were fears at the weekend that if Germany offered 100% protection, the UK would have to follow suit.

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The suit alleges that these practices violated consumer protection and computer laws.

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Oklahoma's new Republican Attorney General Scott Pruitt has bolstered the cause by challenging the tax penalty provisions of the federal health care law, filing suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and joining a multi-state challenge to the Dodd-Frank financial reform law.

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The move was forced by a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency, after environmental groups including the Sierra Club brought suit against TVA for air pollution.

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As CSPI litigation director Stephen Gardner told Bulletproofblog, the suit claims such marketing is illegal under various state consumer protection laws irrespective of the alleged health risks.

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Their suit challenged the validity of Monsanto transgenic patents and sought pre-emptive court protection from lawsuits that might be brought by Monsanto if its biotech traits were found in their fields.

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Their suit, filed last week in federal court in San Francisco, alleges violations of California's consumer protection laws and Missouri's Merchandising Practices Act.

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