Recognising IP in the countryside

Recognising IP in the countryside

Patricia Covarrubia   July 14, 2011   No comments:

Chile, the magazine ‘El campo’ (countryside) is celebrating its 35th anniversary and one of its articles refers to the importance of Intellectual property in this area.

The article written by Patricia Vildósola Errázuriz views IP as a key development. Interviewing Dario Polloni, general manager of Copeval (leader in the distribution of supplies and services for the Chilean agricultural sector), he asserts that Chile has great opportunities as an agricultural country and as an exporter of food which is recognized internationally as a reliable and secure market. However there is the need to strengthen IPRs since according to him if there is not “assurances for the generator of varieties of plants, grains, seeds, semen, or whatever today's technology that requires protection under patent, we cannot have them in the country”. This is enforced by the fact that all new developments that are being launched into the world are protected. Because of this, he says, it is important that Chile is seen internationally as protecting new developments.

Another point that the article made is that IP has been an important support in the development of powerful national seed industry. Therefore, with intellectual property rights at stage the country invest in research.

It is good to see that different fields acknowledge the importance of IP not only for the creators or authors but also for a country and a society as a whole.

Full article here.

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Chilean Seed Industry

Chilean Seed Industry

Patricia Covarrubia   April 14, 2010   No comments:

Marcel Bruins, the new Secretary General of the International Seed Federation (ISF), has recently visited Chile. One of the reasons for visiting was to see at first hand, the country's seedling which enjoys strong export growth. In fact, Chile is the main exporter of seeds in the Southern Hemisphere, with shipments of $ 382 million last year.

Another reason for his visit was to pressure Chile to sign the last convention that regulates intellectual property – plant varieties, known as UPOV 91. Chile had already signed the 1978 version of that convention. However, the 1991 is said to protect and defend intellectual property rights in seeds of plants much better. It introduces a number of important definitions, including "variety" and "breeder." Also it has developed the concept of "essentially derived varieties", in which any exploitation is subject to the authorization of the breeder of the original variety.

As in every story, there are two sides: seed companies say that this innovation is encouraged, but some farmers claim that their costs will increase. Yet, Marcel Bruins argues that farmers have much more to gain. He mentions that a strong system of variety protection ensures that breeders and the seed industry obtain a better return on their investment. He also adds that farmers will also benefit because they are able to buy improved varieties, which are easier to harvest, because they are more resistant to diseases (need less chemicals) and they are of better quality, so they can sell at higher prices. Moreover, with higher production comes a greater profit.

For more info read an interview made to Marcel Bruins by the magazine El Campo.

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