Obtaining Plant Variety Rights
To qualify for protection, a plant variety must be new, distinct from other varieties, and have uniform characteristics that are stable after repeated propagation. What constitutes a ‘new’ variety varies from country to country.
We are qualified to act for you before the Community Plant Variety Office to secure European Union-wide plant variety rights, or the Plant Variety Rights Office in the United Kingdom if you are seeking only a UK national listing.
Plant variety rights under the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants are also available in over 40 countries outside Europe. For plant variety protection in these other countries, we have an extensive network of overseas attorneys with whom we work.
We can advise on who is entitled to apply for protection of a variety, and on naming varieties (including the relationship between plant variety names and trade marks). We can complete all the formalities necessary to apply for plant variety rights, including applying for the official tests conducted on seed or plant material of the variety for which protection is sought, and challenge refusals by the plant variety rights offices to grant protection. We can also advise you on alternative forms of protection including patents for products and processes where available.
We also act as an address for service for applicants outside the EU.
