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Writer's pictureCIOPORA

UPOV Week 2024

The week of 21 October will be a busy week for UPOV and CIOPORA, as the UPOV sessions shall take place in Geneva.


CIOPORA will be represented during the week and will contribute to the discussions. Sabrina Gale shall participate in the Technical Committee, in which the Test Guidelines shall be adopted, this year mainly sweet and sour cherry and amaryllis.

On Tuesday evening a short meeting of the Working group on harvested material and unauthorized use of propagating material (WG-HRV) shall take place. In the previous meetings of the Working Group it was agreed to organize a study to assist its deliberations on the “Scope of the Breeder’s Right” in Article 14 (1) and (2) of the 1991 Act, including the notions of “unauthorized use” and “reasonable opportunity” and the relationship with the “Exhaustion of the Breeder’s Right” in Article 16 of the 1991 Act. The study shall be drafted by independent experts.


After lengthy negotiations, the members of the WG agreed on the composition and funding of the study. The following experts have been nominated: Mr. Huib Ghijsen (The Netherlands), Ms. Vivianne Kunisawa (Brazil), Mr. Charles Lawson (Australia), Mr. Axel Metzger (Germany) and Prof. Dr. Joseph Straus (Germany). CIOPORA was in favor of four of the experts. In October the WG shall finally agree on the composition and the Terms of Reference. CIOPORA will be represented by its Secretary General and the Vice-Secretary General and will make clear once more the importance of effective protection of harvested material for the breeders of ornamentals, fruits and cannabis.


Later that evening a meeting of the Electronic Applications shall take place, where CIOPORA is represented by Sabrina Gale and Hélène Jourdan (Meilland).


On Wednesday a full-day meeting of the Administrative and Legal Committee (CAJ) will occur. The Secretary General and the Vice-Secretary General shall participate in the meeting and will use the opportunity to re-introduce Micaela Filippo to the UPOV members and talk to them during the breaks. On the agenda, we find the topics “Explanatory Notes on Propagating Material under the UPOV Convention” and “Updates from UPOV members and observers relating to the implementation of the concept of essentially derived varieties,” but we do not expect intensive discussion here.


On Wednesday evening, after the CAJ, a meeting of the Working Group on Guidance concerning Smallholder Farmers in relation to private and non-commercial use (WG-SHF) shall take place. We will once more oppose against the expansion of the exemption of “private and non-commercial use.” Main topic of the meeting will probably be whether a seminar shall be organized about the topic.


On Thursday the meeting of the Consultative Committee shall be held, to which we are not allowed.


On Friday the Vice-Secretary General shall participate in the meeting of the Council. Also here, we do not expect intense discussions but will use the time to enlarge our network and approach individual UPOV members. 

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