Navigating Legal Challenges in the Agrochemical Industry ACS Symposium Series

Scientific and legal perspectives Engaging in agrochemical research and agribusiness is important and rewarding work, with solutions needed for the global challenges of decreasing agricultural land and increasing demands on the food supplies. Agriculture as we know it is rapidly changing, but the law and regulatory framework have been slow to adapt. New biotechnological advances are constantly emerging, and the resulting agro-products must overcome legal hurdles on their path to the marketplace. This book includes perspectives on intellectual property and the challenges that new agrochemical products face from the marketplace and regulators. Readers will gain an understanding of common challenges, review specific examples, and learn techniques to improve their patents.

Andrew Coates is an attorney in Nevada. Coates earned his law degree from the William S. Boyd School of Law (UNLV) as well as his Master of Business Administration from UNLV's Lee Business School. He also received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Policy Analysis & Planning, with a minor in Environmental Toxicology from the University of California, Davis. In 2018, he was appointed by the Henderson Mayor and City Council to serve on the Henderson Commemorative Beautification Commission, for which he now serves as Chair. He is a member of the ACS's Committee on Patents & Related Matters, and he serves on the Executive Committee of the Chemistry and the Law Division. Coates currently serves on the Board of Directors for the William S. Boyd School of Law Alumni Association as well as the New Lawyers Committee for the Clark County Bar Association, which he co-chairs. Rodney M. Bennett has been practicing chemistry for over forty years. Following his graduation from Wake Forest University, he began his career in agrichemical research at Ciba-Geigy Corporation in Greensboro, NC. From there, his career continued at contract research organizations En-Cas Analytical Laboratories and later at Wildlife International, Ltd. He developed additional project management skills at HERAC and Grayson Research, before moving to the agrichemical division of Elf Atochem, which evolved into CEREXAGRI and later became UPI. The residue chemistry section became JFRAmerica. After leaving JFRA, he moved to Critical Path Services. After over twenty years in the Philadelphia area, Bennett now has his own consulting firm, Winding Trails, LLC in his hometown of Winston-Salem, NC. Bennett has worked in various capacities, starting out as a chemist in the residue laboratory, and moving on to study director, program manager, laboratory director, and vice-president agrochemical research. He has served in multiple positions within the American Chemical Society: in all the Local Section activities