December 2023 | Updates

Sparring Partner Group (SPG) of the Novelty Protection Group

Welcome to the latest edition of the Sparring Partner Group (SPG) news bringing you updates on the Novelty Protection issues in ornamental horticulture, accompanied by analysis, interpretation, and advice from Ms Mia Buma, the Novelty Protection Group Advisor to AIPH.

UPOV Council Meeting

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

  • Gold medal for Peter Button, former Vice Secretary-General of UPOV 
  • An agreement document between the UPOV Convention, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) clarifies the complementarity between the three international agreements. 
  • Unexpected breakthrough in discussions Explanatory Notes on Essentially Derived Varieties (EDV) 
  • Working Group on Harvested Material (WG-HRV) revision of Explanatory note on ‘HRV’, ‘Propagating Material’ and ‘Provisional Protection’
Annual Bilateral CPVO-AIPH Meeting

CPVO’s Multi-Annual External Communication Strategy 2023-2026

Novelty Protection Webinar + SPG Members Meeting

New Year, New Free Novelty Protection Webinar on Tuesday, 16 January. Our guest speakers include Mr Dirk Theobald, CPVO Senior Technical Advisor, and Mr Niels Louwaars, Director of Plantum.

Mr Theobald has been working in the headquarters of the CPVO since 1995. In his presentation for the Novelty Protection Webinar, he will discuss the developments and challenges within CPVO since its establishment in 1994.

Dr Louwaars has provided advisory services to several countries on their seed policies, including plant breeders’ rights. He is also the initiator of the International Plant Variety Protection course, which will have its 25th edition in 2024. For the AIPH Novelty Protection webinar, he will discuss Intellectual property discussions in relation to NGTs and the ongoing sustainability transitions for ornamental growers.