Honestly it drives me crazy too. My cousin farms and he's totally locked into buying those seeds year after year now. The whole thing just feels like a way for big companies to keep a chokehold on regular people trying to grow food.
Hold up, gotta push back on this. Those seeds are expensive to make, and if farmers just saved them, the companies couldn't keep improving the crops. It's how they get paid for their work. Lucas_mitchell14 talked about seeds dying after one season, but that's not really it. They're bred for one-time yield, and replanting gives you a weak crop. Your cousin isn't "locked in," he's choosing a reliable product that works. It's like any other tool you buy for a job.
Man, after reading what GavinK95 said about his cousin, it hit different. I was all for GMOs for better crops before. But seeing how companies design seeds to die after one season just to keep selling them... that's messed up. It locks people in, like you said.