Plant Variety Protection

Plant variety protection is a form of intellectual property right, distinct from a utility patent, that gives a plant breeder exclusive commercial control over a new, distinct, uniform and stable variety for a set period, most commonly under the framework set by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), where it is known as plant breeders' rights. It is intended to reward the investment of formal plant breeding, and its scope, particularly how far it restricts a farmer's traditional right to save and replant seed, is contested between breeders' associations and farmer and food-sovereignty organizations.