Breeders of asparagus, flower bulbs, woody small fruits, and woody ornamentals will soon enjoy a 30-year protection term under the Community Plant Variety Rights (CPVR). The extension from 25 to 30-year CPVR term has been passed by the overwhelming majority in the EU Parliament (641 out of 704 MP) and adopted by the European Council. The extension will apply to the CPVR in species concerned, both currently in force and issued in the future.
As requested by CIOPORA and the fellow breeder organizations Euroseeds and Plantum, the extension of protection will finally accommodate the needs of breeders of the varieties with especially long breeding and stock building cycles, allowing for equitable refunding of research and investment in the breeding programs. The prolonged term of protection and variety exploitation will also allow breeders, many of whom are small and medium enterprises, to explore new business opportunities and reinvest in the breeding of new and improved varieties.
“This is a great assurance for breeders of these species and a positive signal to the entire breeder community that their needs are being acknowledged by the policymakers”, says Dr. Edgar Krieger, CIOPORA Secretary General. “Effective IP protection is key for ensuring that the European SMEs are ready to rise to the challenge and deliver tangible results, e.g., for the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy.”
The regulation is expected to come into force before the end of the year, twenty days after the publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. The list of the varieties in the affected groups of species will be released by the Community Plant Variety Office. The latter has announced that it will work with its Registrar to identify the qualifying crops and update the terms of the corresponding CPVR titles if forced. The titleholders will be notified in due time.
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