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The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) is an intergovernmental organization with headquarters in Geneva (Switzerland).
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UPOV was established by the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants.
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The Convention was adopted in Paris in 1961 and it was revised in 1972, 1978 and 1991.
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UPOV’s mission is to provide and promote an effective system of plant variety protection, with the aim of encouraging the development of new varieties of plants, for the benefit of society.
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The UPOV Convention provides the basis for members to encourage plant breeding by granting breeders of new plant varieties an intellectual property right: the breeder’s right.
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In the case of a variety protected by a breeder’s right, the authorization of the breeder is required to propagate the variety for commercial purposes. The breeder’s right is granted by the individual UPOV members.
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Only the breeder of a new plant variety can protect that new plant variety.
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It is not permitted for someone other than the breeder to obtain protection of a variety.
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There are no restrictions on who can be considered to be a breeder under the UPOV system: a breeder might be an individual, a farmer, a researcher, a public institute, a private company etc.
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India is not a member.