Plant Variety Rights & Patents – How they work

The former President of the EU Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO), Mr Martin Ekvad, has recently published a clear and understandable book from the report: “Intellectual Property Rights for Plants – Analysis of IP Rights regarding plant-related innovation: Plant variety Rights & Patents – How it works”.

The future of new NGTs (such as the so-called ‘genetic scissors’ CRIPSR-Cas) is widely discussed, not only in Europe, where the Court of Justice decided in 2018 to assess such technologies under the EU regulatory framework for GMOs (genetically modified organisms).

Worldwide, the use of NGTs will have indispensable consequences for plant breeding relating to agriculture, horticulture, forestry and food production. NGTs are important for plant breeding to meet climate challenges and environmental problems.

Mr Ekvad was President of CPVO for ten years (2011-2021). He is now a candidate for the role of UPOV’s Vice-Secretary-General. His publication aims to provide policymakers, authorities, organisations, and the interested public with up-to-date information based on science and proven experience on modern plant biotechnology and breeding issues. At the EU level, this book is particularly relevant to the extensive policy process surrounding legislative proposals.

AIPH encourages you to share this publication with your colleagues and other contacts involved in the concerned field of NGTs concerning plant breeding and its related intellectual property rights, namely plant breeders’ rights and patents. This book provides good and comprehensive information on the subject.

The publication can be downloaded on the following link:
https://cpvo.europa.eu/en/news-and-events/articles/ip-rights-plants-analysis-intellectual-property-rights-regarding-plant-related-innovation