Veranstaltung (Zeit, Ort)

Name des Autors, Position

Name der VeranstaltungBreeders Rights and the BreedingExemption and its Role in Prebreeding

International Workshop Public-Private Partnerships on Pre-breeding February 2-4, Montpellier, FranceDr. Petra Jorasch, Vice Secretary General of GFP

Breeders Rights and the Breeding Exemption and its Role in Prebreeding

● Why IP in Plant Breeding?● IP Systems

o PVPo Patentso CBD/Nagoyao ITPGRFA

● Contributions of Plant Breeding Industry in ABS● Requirements from IP Perspective

Content

Why IP in Plant Breeding? What is inside?

But: the copying machine is inside!

The Spirit of IP

● exchanging limited exclusive rights for disclosure of inventions and creative works

● society and the patentee/copyright owner mutually benefit ● incentive is created for inventors and authors to create and

disclose their work.

Supporting Innovation by IP – ProtectionA balanced System is needed

Maximum ofInnovation

Maximum ofProtection

Optimum of Protection

What kind of Results might be created in Prebreeding?

genes(sequence

data)markerdata

New plant (varieties)

Phenotypicinformation

statisticaltools

software

breedingmethods

What kind of tools for IP protection are available?

businesssecret

•in principal unlimited protection• no costs• no protection if b.s. gets public

patent protection

•20 years of protection• expensive• needs time to prepare• requirement: inventiveness,novelty, industrial apllicability

plant varietyprotection

• 20‐25 years of protection• needs time to validated• requirement: distinctivenessuniformity, stability, varietydenomination, novelty

copyright law

• 70 years after death ofauthor/creator

• no costs

publication

• no costs• prevent others fromIP protection

Access to genetic diversityThe Role of different IP-Systems

CBD/Nagoya

PVP Protection

ITPGRFA

Patents

•EU regulation not feasable for breeding•breeding exemption

is leveraged

•optimized system for plant breeding ‐

acknowledges breedingexemption

•Not all crops/plant species included

Balanced system needed:• PVP for conventional breeding

• Patents for technicalinventions

• B.S  for methods, knowledge, Data

access andsustainable

use

Business secrets

The most important IP rights in plant breedingPVP and Patent Protection

the genes as suchthe variety, e.g. the uniquecombination of genes

IP rights in plant breeding

PVP – an open source system that stimulates innovation

The effect of variety protection shall not extend to the acts carried out

1. privately and for non-commercial purposes,

2. for experimental purposes in relation to the protected variety,

3. for the breeding of new varieties (breeders exemption)

4. a farmer who avails himself of the possibility of using farm saved seed shall be required to pay the owner of the variety protection an equitable remuneration (farmers privilege or farmers right)

IP rights in plant breedingPatents - Limited Breeders Exemption garanties Access toGenetic Diversity for Breeding

● Acts done privately● Research on invention (not with invention)● Limited breeders exemptionin Germany, France,

Switzerland and Unitary Patent (e.g. the use ofbiological material for the purpose of breeding, discovering and developing a new plant variety)

Business Secret

● Publicly funded research often demands publication ofresults

● in principle unlimited, but could be limited by contractualagreement

● No protection, if data become public

Limitations

EU-regulation for implementation of CBD/Nagoya leverages the breeding exemption

a. date and place of access to PGR b. description of PGRc. source of PGRd. informationen about subsequent user of PGRe. Prior Informed Consent - PIC (if required by donor country)f. informationen about further legal obligations which might be

related to PGRg. Mutually Agreed Terms - MAT (agreed with donor country)

Obligation for Documentation - new varieties fall underthe scope of the regulation

International Treaty on PGR for Food andAgriculture

● Special instrument for ABS for certain agricultural species and somevegetable species used for food and feed production

● Goal: simple access to PGR, which are relevant for food security● Instruments: Multilateral System (MLS) and Standard Material

Transfer Agreement (SMTA)⇒ no „Track and Trace“ requirements⇒ documentation via SMTA

● No IP on PGR in the form receivedBut: ● limited number of species● limited on use for food and feed production● needs financial support

What is needed to encourage prebreeding?

● Acknowledgement of the breeders exemption as a tool for benefit sharing

● No overregulation

o minimal track and trace

o standardized ABS procedures (e.g. SMTA)

o legal certainty

● Balanced IP System

o PVP for conventional breeding

o Patents for technical invention and acknowledgement of limited breeders exemption in patent law

o Grace period for publication of or access to prebreeding or evaluationresults (time limited business secret)

Requirements from IP Perspective