Joint Workshop on “Post PVP Control of Registered Varieties and Implementation of Plant Breeders’ Rights”

By |2020-01-15T19:46:20+00:00January 15th, 2020|0 Comments

In collaboration with DAC-FW, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India, PPV&FR Authority, New Delhi and the Indo-German Bilateral Co-operation on Seed Sector Development funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), a Joint Workshop on “Post Plant Variety Protection Control of Registered Varieties and Implementation of Plant Breeders’ Rights” was organized in Delhi on December 17, 2019.

The aim of this workshop was to exchange experience and know-how on different aspects of Post Plant Variety Protection Control of Registered Varieties and also on methods of effective implementation of Plant Breeders’ Rights in India. In this regard, this joint workshop was conducted to provide a basis for mutual exchange of knowledge on methodologies followed in India while comparing / sharing the experiences of Germany/ EU. During this workshop, each topic was thoroughly elaborated, discussed and debated between the Indian and German experts which motivated the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA) of India to further plan few more deliberations on this theme which can be helpful for further elaborations through upcoming bilateral workshops during the current phase.

About 50 seed sector experts attended the workshop. The workshop was chaired by Dr. Vinod Prabhu, Chairperson of PPV&FRA in Delhi and Dr. Nagaratna (Registrar of PPV&FRA) and Dr. Sowmini Sunkara (national project coordinator) supported the organization of the workshop.

From the German Federal Plant Variety Office (BSA), Mrs. Friedhilde Trautwein and Dr. Kerstin Diekmann participated. In addition, Dr. Elmar Weissmann and Johannes Peter Angenendt representatives of the German private plant breeding companies as well as the German Team Leader Mr. Ekkehard Schroeder participated. The 4 German technical experts covered the following topics:

  1. Overview of main elements of PVP in Germany/EU including post PVP control of registered varieties
  2. Granting of plant breeders’ rights (PBR) and the effect for the owner/holder of this intellectual property right
  3. System and regulation of monitoring the maintenance of protected plant varieties in Germany/EU
  4. Areas and procedures of collaboration of regional public organizations responsible for seed certification and marketing control of seed in Germany and BSA at central level responsible for monitoring and maintenance of plant varieties in Germany
  5. Overview legal framework and basis of seed production in Germany
  6. How to manage the intellectual property right successfully as plant breeder in Germany/EU
  7. Experience with Seed Trust Administration Ltd. (STV-Saatgut-Treuhandverwaltung GmbH) – private organization for persecution of infringements of PVP in Germany
  8. Typical private-law agreements (license agreements) between plant breeders (PVP holders) and licensed party in Germany
  9. Monitoring of license agreement in Germany/EU
  10. Experience with the collection of royalties from farmer saved seed in Germany including the management of data necessary for the traceability of the activities of the licensed party