From Seed to Fruit Stall: Research, Protect, Market and Enforce. How Plant Variety Rights and Closed Distribution Agreements Bring Variety to the Fruit Platter
The joint session aims to touch upon the protection and scope of plant variety rights (PVR), with reference to relevant case law, the contractual exploitation of plant variety rights, with special focus on Club Varieties, and competition law aspects of closed marketing arrangements. PVR is becoming an increasing area of interest from an R&D and business perspective, in particular as more than 70 countries worldwide have issued regulations in this area.
PVR-protected fruits and cereals are an expanding niche in the food market, with marketing and licensing agreements that sometimes extend from the participation of growers in the planting of a researched plant variety (which may eventually obtain protection), to the licensing of the rights and the tightly controlled marketing of the produce to ensure premium quality. In some instances, excessive control may be regarded as anti-competitive.