Brussels, Belgium
January 21, 2007
Until now, breeders from non-EU
and non-UPOV countries could only be granted a title if the
European Commission gave a favorable opinion. Through the
amendment of Art 12 of Council Regulation (EC) N° 2100/94,
applicants from all nations will now be able to apply for a
Community plant variety right on the same terms. Nevertheless
non-EU applicants still need to have a procedural representative
in the EU. The amendment will enter into force on the 31st
January 2008.
This amendment will simplify access to the Community plant
variety right system and strengthen its principal characteristic
which is granting protection guaranteeing exclusive industrial
property rights for new varieties of plants throughout the 27
Member States of the European Union on the basis of one
application and one process identical for all breeders
worldwide.
The Community protection system has once again shown its
attractiveness to breeders: almost 3000 applications were
registered in 2007, an increase of nearly 9% compared to 2006
and of 97.8% compared to 1996, the first complete year of
activity after the establishment of the
Community Plant variety
Office (CPVO) in 1995.
The reference to the amendment is Council Regulation (EC) No
15/2008 of 20 December 2008, OJ No L8, 11.1.2008, p.2
More information on the CPVO is available at:
http://www.cpvo.europa.eu |
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