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Table of Contents
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................................ 2
Module Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 4
Module Overview .................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Learning Outcomes .................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Module Map ............................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Reasons for Continuous Need for New Plant Varieties .......................................................................................................... 7
Need for Plant Variety Protection ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Check Your Learning 1 ........................................................................................................................................................... 10
Role of UPOV................................................................................................................................................................. 11
UPOV’s Primary Function and Objectives ............................................................................................................................. 11
Benefits of UPOV Membership: Illustrated ........................................................................................................................... 12
Benefits of UPOV Membership ............................................................................................................................................. 14
Check Your Learning 2 ........................................................................................................................................................... 15
Breeder’s Rights ............................................................................................................................................................ 16
The Breeder ........................................................................................................................................................................... 16
What is the subject matter of protection?............................................................................................................................ 17
Conditions for the Grant of the Breeder’s Right ................................................................................................................... 18
The Scope of the Breeder’s Rights ........................................................................................................................................ 21
Exceptions to the Breeder’s Rights........................................................................................................................................ 23
Check Your Learning 3 ........................................................................................................................................................... 24
Duration of Breeder’s Rights ................................................................................................................................................. 25
Provisional Protection ........................................................................................................................................................... 26
Module Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... 27
Module Quiz.................................................................................................................................................................. 29
Question Set........................................................................................................................................................................... 29
Answer Key ................................................................................................................................................................... 31
Check Your Learning .............................................................................................................................................................. 31

Module Quiz........................................................................................................................................................................... 33
Module Resources ......................................................................................................................................................... 34
Video Tutorial................................................................................................................................................................ 36

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 Module Introduction
Module Overview

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 Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, you should be able to meet the learning outcomes listed here.

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 Module Map

This module is divided into three topics. You are required to complete the topics sequentially in order to best meet the
module learning outcomes.

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 Reasons for Continuous Need for New Plant Varieties

Why farmers, growers and consumers need new varieties of plants?

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 Need for Plant Variety Protection

Why is plant variety protection necessary?

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 Check Your Learning 1

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 Role of UPOV
UPOV’s Primary Function and Objectives

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 Benefits of UPOV Membership: Illustrated

In the previous topic you learnt about some reasons for a continuous need for new plant varieties by farmers, growers and
consumers.

In this screen you will learn about UPOV’s role in helping meet those aims.

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 Benefits of UPOV Membership

This screen highlights some benefits of plant variety protection and UPOV membership.

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 Check Your Learning 2

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 Breeder’s Rights
The Breeder

Who is the breeder?

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 What is the subject matter of protection?

The plant kingdom is vast and has been classified by a ranking system containing many divisions and sub-divisions.

A “Family” is a division within the plant kingdom, which is subdivided into “Genera”, which are further subdivided into
“Species”.

Species is the division which is most familiar to people. A species is a group of plants which are reproductively isolated.
Thus, plants of different species, such as apple, potato, rose, wheat, do not inter-breed by natural means. Although the rank
of species is an important botanical classification, it is clear that the plants within a species can be very different.

Farmers and growers need plants that are adapted to the growing conditions in their local environment and which are
suited to the cultivation practices employed. Therefore, farmers and growers use a more precisely defined group of plants,
selected from within a species, called a plant “variety”.

The UPOV Convention definition of a plant variety starts by stating that it is “a plant grouping within a single botanical taxon
of the lowest known rank, …” thus confirming that a plant variety falls within the lowest sub-division of the species.

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 Conditions for the Grant of the Breeder’s Right

The conditions for protection for the grant of the breeder’s right are specially tailored according to the nature of plant
varieties and plant breeding. If a legal right is to be granted in respect of a variety and if that right is subsequently to be
effectively enforced, the identity of the variety must be well established and maintained during the whole period of
protection.

The UPOV Convention accordingly establishes Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) as criteria to be satisfied. The
two other criteria are novelty, that is, the variety must be “new” in the sense that it must not have been sold or disposed
of to others during a specified period prior to the filing date of the application, and the variety must be given a suitable
denomination. The grant of protection shall not be subject to any further or different conditions, provided that the applicant
complies with all the formalities and pays the required fees (Article 5).

The conditions for the grant of the breeder’s right are stated in Article 5 of the UPOV Convention. The breeder’s right shall
be granted where the variety is new, distinct, uniform, and stable.

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 The Scope of the Breeder’s Rights

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 Exceptions to the Breeder’s Rights

The UPOV Convention establishes compulsory exception and an optional exception to the breeder’s right.

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 Check Your Learning 3

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 Duration of Breeder’s Rights

How long do the breeder’s rights last?

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 Provisional Protection

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 Module Summary

Sustained and long-term breeding efforts are only worthwhile if there is a chance to be rewarded for the investment made.
To recover the costs of this research and development, the breeder may seek protection to obtain exclusive rights for the
new variety.

At the same time, a new variety, once released, can often be easily reproduced by others. The original breeder is thus
deprived of the fair opportunity to benefit from his or her investment. It is, therefore, critical to provide an effective system
of plant variety protection, which encourages the development of new varieties of plants thereby benefiting the breeder
and society at large.

The UPOV system provides an effective mechanism of protection for breeders in both the public and private sectors and
facilitates public-private partnerships. It is a system that is equally relevant for individual breeders, SMEs and larger breeding
institutes/enterprises. Most countries and intergovernmental organizations which have introduced a plant variety
protection (PVP) system have chosen to develop their system in accordance with the UPOV Convention and to become a
UPOV member.

Plant variety protection supports long-term investment in breeding and provides a framework for investment in the delivery
of improved varieties suited to farmers’ and growers’ needs. In order to obtain protection, the new variety must be:

• New

• “[t]he variety shall be deemed to be new if, at the date of filing of the application for a breeder’s right,
propagating or harvested material of the variety has not been sold or otherwise disposed of to others, by
or with the consent of the breeder, for purposes of exploitation of the variety

• “(i) in the territory of the Contracting Party in which the application has been filed earlier than one
year before that date and

• “(ii) in a territory other than that of the Contracting Party in which the application has been filed earlier
than four years or, in the case of trees or of vines, earlier than six years before the said date.”

• Distinct: The variety shall be deemed to be distinct if it is clearly distinguishable from any other variety whose
existence is a matter of common knowledge at the time of the filing of the application.

• Uniform: “The variety shall be deemed to be uniform if, subject to the variation that may be expected from the
particular features of its propagation, it is sufficiently uniform in its relevant characteristics.”

• Stable: “The variety shall be deemed to be stable if its relevant characteristics remain unchanged after repeated
propagation or, in the case of a particular cycle of propagation, at the end of each such cycle.” and

• Have a suitable denomination: The UPOV Convention (Article 20) requires that a variety shall be designated by a
variety denomination, which will be its generic designation

The minimum period of protection of the breeder’s right, under Article 19 of the 1991 Act of the UPOV Convention, is
designed to ensure an adequate incentive for the long-term investment that is necessary in plant breeding. The term is:

• 25 years for trees and vines

• 20 years for other plants

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The UPOV Convention establishes compulsory exceptions and an optional exception to the breeder’s right.

Compulsory Exceptions

The compulsory exceptions are established in Article 15(1). The following acts are not covered by the breeder’s right: acts
done privately and for non-commercial purposes; acts done for experimental purposes, and acts done for the purpose of
breeding other varieties.

Optional Exception

Article 15(2) of the UPOV Convention provides an optional exception, which permits UPOV members to exclude, for
example, farm saving of seed from the scope of the breeder’s right, subject to certain conditions. This exception covers
three aspects: the farmer’s holding—where it can take place; the product of the harvest—the material involved; and the
limits and safeguarding of the legitimate interest of the breeder.

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 Module Quiz
Question Set

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 Answer Key
Check Your Learning

ID No Check Your Learning Questions and Model Answers

Question: Why is it important to protect new plant varieties?

Question: Read the following statements. Which statements related to the role of UPOV are TRUE and which
are FALSE? Select Submit to check your answers.

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 Question: Imagine that you are a farmer in a country that protects breeder’s rights. You have bought some seeds
that have breeders right protection Which of the following acts would you be legally able to do?

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 Module Quiz

Question Question Correct Answer/s

Number

1 What is the minimum length of time in years for the protection of the 4. 25
rights of the breeder of a tree as given by the 1991 convention?

2 Which of the following actions could the holder of breeders’ rights NOT 2. The use of the plant to breed a
prevent? new variety of plant.

3 Is it necessary for a new variety of plant to undergo a technical 3. Not always

examination for Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) in each
country the breeder wishes protection?

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 Module Resources

Additional Reading

Name Hyperlink

https://www.upov.int/upov_collection/en/
Explanatory Notes on the on the Definition of Breeder
under the 1991 Act of the UPOV Convention
https://www.upov.int/upov_collection/en/
Explanatory Notes on the Definition of Variety under
the 1991 Act of the UPOV Convention

https://www.upov.int/upov_collection/en/
• The Development of Harmonized Descriptions
of New Varieties of Plants (“General
Introduction”)
• Explanatory Notes on Novelty under the UPOV
Convention
• General Introduction to the Examination of
Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability and
Explanatory Notes on Variety Denominations
under the UPOV Convention
https://www.upov.int/members/en/
List of UPOV Members

https://www.upov.int/upovlex/en/
A list of laws that have been implemented by members
should be labelled as such

https://www.upov.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/upov_pub_35
UPOV Report on the Impact of Plant Variety Protection 3.pdf

• Explanatory Notes on Propagating Material https://www.upov.int/upov_collection/en/

under the UPOV Convention
• Explanatory Notes on Acts in Respect of
Harvested Material under the 1991 Act of the
UPOV Convention
• Explanatory Notes on Essentially Derived
Varieties under the 1991 Act of the UPOV
Convention

Explanatory Notes on Exceptions to the Breeder’s right https://www.upov.int/upov_collection/en/

under the UPOV Convention
Contact details of the authorities responsible for the https://www.upov.int/members/en/pvp_offices.html
granting of breeders’ rights

UPOV PRISMA PBR application tool https://www.upov.int/upovprisma/en/

GENIE database https://www.upov.int/genie/en/

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 Information concerning breeders' rights and variety https://www.upov.int/pluto/en/
denominations provided by The PLUTO Plant Variety
Database

Publications and Videos

These illustrate the benefits of plant variety protection are available on the UPOV website
(https://www.upov.int/about/en/benefits_upov_system.html). New videos are regularly posted. Please find below some
examples:

UPOV Videos

Canadian cherry growers benefit from government policy

See how the Government of Canada uses PVP to improve the livelihood of Canadian cherry growers.

Rose industry blooming in Kenya

Discover how the UPOV system enabled Kenya to develop a

USD 500 million cut-flower industry that employs 500,000 Kenyans.

Tsuyahime

A new rice variety bringing increased income for farmers in Japan.

UPOV Member Videos

Argentina

Using the UPOV system to benefit custodians of native wild germplasm in Argentina.

UPOV system bringing benefits for agriculture in Colombia

See how the UPOV system is supporting agriculture and promoting rural development through new improved varieties,
with examples of sugar beet and ornamentals.

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 Video Tutorial

The following video, by Yolanda and Ben, introduces the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants
(UPOV), the UPOV Convention and the process of developing plant varieties alongside the importance of recognizing the
work of breeders in developing those varieties in the agricultural sector.

https://vimeo.com/user2977389/review/366931888/99bfc4c94d

End of Module 10: Protection of New Varieties of Plants

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