This work analyses European plant intellectual property rights. Whilst the focus of the work is on Europe and in particular the European Patent Convention, Community Regulation on Plant Variety Rights and the EU Directive on the Legal Protection of Biotechnological Inventions, this provision is discussed within the context of international legislation including the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
It also examines the impact of plant intellectual property rights on the European plant breeding industry and assesses whether recent developments, such as the Novartis decision, will assist plant breeders, from all sectors of plant breeding activities, in the production of new plant products.