IPRs in Plant Breeding a live debate Niels Louwaars Director Plantum

1. IPRs in Plant Breedinga live debate Niels Louwaars Director Plantum

2. Field crops Ornamentals Vegetable seed Young vegetable plants • Plantum Plantum: 350 members Plant breeding/selection Production of seeds + other propagating materials Tissue culture Trade in planting materials Turnover € 2.2 billion Export € 1.8 billion The Netherlands No. 1 exporter in the world: especiallyhorticulture and seedpotato

3. Intellectual Property • Plant breedinginvolves significant investments (in The Netherlands approax 300 m€ /yearby the public sector; approx 20 m€/year) • The products of research (plant varieties) can in most cases be easily reproduced • Protection of intellectual property is thus essential for the seed sector. • Breeder’s rights • Trademarks • Trade secretrs • Patents • IP is a right to explude others from commercialising the protected subject matter

4. Patentsdesignedforindustrialinventions • Inventionsthat are new, involveaninventive step (are ‘non-obvious’) and have an ‘industrialapplication’ • Protectionfor 20 years • Since 1980s (in USA) and 1998 (EU) alsoapplicabletobiotechnologicalinventions • Initially GMO technologies • In USA alsoforvarieties (not in EU) • In last decade alsoappliedto ‘native traits’ • Internationally ‘harmonised’ since 1883 (WIPO)

5. Breeder’s Rights based on agri – “culture” • Special system designed for protecting plant varieties • Special requirements (compared to patents): • Distinctness, uniformity, stability (instead of inventive step), novelty (different from novelty in patents) • Description based on biological nature (self/cross fertilisers) • Breeder’s exemption • Farmers’ Privilege • Easy application (no lawyers needed) • Internationally harmonised since 1961 (UPOV)

6. Breeder’s Rights and Patents • Situation – a new variety with patented traits/genes • Breeder has the right on the variety but the holder of the patent(s) can decide whether the variety may be marketed – and may decide royalty on the gene • Other breeders cannot use the variety for further breeding – and can use neither the gene nor the genetic background for further innovation • Patent holder has a very strong position.

7. Opposition against patents • Plantum (2009): patents are blocking innovation in breeding. Need a full breeder’s exemption in patent law (majority position) • ESA (2011): no patents on native traits + limited breeder’s exemption + inventing around procedure • ESA (2013): patent database for transparency • ISF: limited breeder’s exemption + extension of patent duration (in some cases)

8. Developments Legislator • EU: limitedbreeder’sexemption in new ‘unitary patent system’ • EU: report on the Biotechnology Directive dueearly 2014 Courts • European patent office: court cases about native traits (broccoli/tomato) • US/EU court cases tendto limit patent rights on human genes, on biotechinventions • EPO works on ‘raising the bar’ • Industry • Vegetable breeders: work on an agreement to avoid ‘strategic patenting’ • ESA patent database

9. Intellectual property rights are essentialforsustainableinvestments in plant breeding IPRs have tobalance the interests of the holder of the rights and society Currently, the debate in EU concentrates on the relation patents/breeder’srights In LDCsalso on the relationbreeder’srights/farmers’ rights