Novelty Protection Webinar and Sparring Partner Group (SPG) Meeting

Webinar Recording

PROGRAMME:

13.00 till 14.30 (CET)

Mr Jack Goossens, Chairman Supervisory Board Royal FloraHolland and Chair of the AIPH Ornamental Production Committee will open the meeting and introduce the speakers.

The first presentation is by Marien Valstar on Developments and Challenges within UPOV. 30 minutes, including Q&A 5 – 10 minutes.

Farmers and growers all over the world need good varieties. The UPOV system is designed to promote the development of new plant varieties. Modern challenges that are important for plant breeding are climate change and the need to adapt agriculture and horticulture, the ongoing discussion on loss of biodiversity and ecosystems, and the upcoming use of new genetic techniques. To get better insight and understanding of the importance of the UPOV system, Marien Valstar will give a general impression how UPOV could contribute to these challenges. Marien Valstar has been representing the Netherlands within UPOV for many years and for the last few years Marien Valstar has been functioning as president of the UPOV Council. Drawing from these experiences, Marien will try to give the AIPH members a better insight in the workings of UPOV by a presentation and a Q&A session.

The second presentation is by Dr Edgar Krieger on The obliged use of variety denomination in the industry (Article 20 UPOV/ art 17 EU regulation 2100/94). 10 -15 minutes, including Q&A.

To support effective working of the UPOV Plant Breeders Right system, Dr. Edgar Krieger will make a serious request to the ornamental sector to mention variety names in the right manner on all products. With the current trend of new variety names constantly coming into commercial production, often quickly invented for marketing purposes, the impression often prevails that variety names can be used arbitrarily or not used at all. Dr Edgar Krieger will clarify and argue for the importance of correct and consistent use of variety names.

Presenters

Marien Valstar (1964) is the Senior policy officer for Seeds and Propagating Materials in the Directorate-General for Agro and Nature in the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands.

His work focuses on national, European and global policies related to Plant Variety Protection and registration and certification of plant varieties. Current Responsibilities in the Netherlands: Seed Law, Plant Breeders Law, Plant Variety Board /Variety testing Representative of the Netherlands in European Council Working parties and Standing Committees on Seeds of the European Commission.

From October 2019 to October 2022, President of the Council of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). UPOV is an intergovernmental organisation. Its mission is to provide and promote an effective plant variety protection system to encourage the development of new varieties of plants for the benefit of society.

He is the current President of the Administrative Council of the European Community Plant Variety Office.

Mr Valstar graduated from Wageningen University and Research (1988), where he studied Horticulture.

Dr Edgar Krieger has extensive experience in the field of Intellectual Property protection for plant innovation and has held the position of the CIOPORA Secretary General since 2004.

Before CIOPORA, Dr Krieger worked as a lawyer at an international law firm specializing in IP protection, particularly Plant Breeder’s Rights, advising agricultural breeders in several hundred court cases up to the European Court of Justice. He holds a Law Degree from the University of Bonn and a Degree in Business Administration from the Aachen University of Applied Sciences. He completed his doctoral dissertation on the topic “Farmers’ Exemption in Germany” at the Philipps University of Marburg.

The webinar will be followed by an update on the Plant Breeders’ Rights field concerning the growers’ and producers’ position in the sector given by Ms Mia Buma. This update is for members of the SPG only.

SPG Meeting | January 2023

Novelty Protection Webinar and Sparring Partner Group (SPG) Meeting

Webinar Recording

PROGRAMME:

Presenters

Free to register

11 January 2023 | 13.00 till 14.30 (CET)