April 2023 - Npos_2018 - lists.testbiotech.de

Doodle Conference call & Workshop Unitary Patent
by Johanna Eckhardt 21 Apr '23

21 Apr '23

Dear all, we'll plan our next conference call for mid/end May. Plus, as the Unitary Patent comes into force on 1 June, Fulya offered to organise an internal NPOS workshop to give us more info. For those interested, please fill out the second doodle as well (same dates). NPOS Conference call: https://dud-poll.inf.tu-dresden.de/gc1kYpSa3g/ Workshop Unitary Patent: https://dud-poll.inf.tu-dresden.de/tw14sntzFA/ The duration of the conference call and the workshop will each be 90min. Please fill out the doodles until Wednesday, 26 April 10h AM CET. Thank you. Best, Johanna Mag. Johanna ECKHARDT Project Coordination Tel. +43 680 21 26 343 <mailto:johanna.eckhardt@no-patents-on-seeds.org> johanna.eckhardt(a)no-patents-on-seeds.org NO PATENTS ON SEEDS! <http://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/> www.no-patents-on-seeds.org <http://www.facebook.com/nopatentsonseeds> www.facebook.com/nopatentsonseeds <http://www.twitter.com/nopatentsonseed> www.twitter.com/nopatentsonseed

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Conference call 13 April 2023, Minutes
by Johanna Eckhardt 20 Apr '23

20 Apr '23

Dear all, I just sent you the minutes for the conference call on 13 April 2023 via Proton. https://proton.me/mail Kind regards, Johanna Mag. Johanna ECKHARDT Project Coordination Tel. +43 680 21 26 343 <mailto:johanna.eckhardt@no-patents-on-seeds.org> johanna.eckhardt(a)no-patents-on-seeds.org NO PATENTS ON SEEDS! <http://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/> www.no-patents-on-seeds.org <http://www.facebook.com/nopatentsonseeds> www.facebook.com/nopatentsonseeds <http://www.twitter.com/nopatentsonseed> www.twitter.com/nopatentsonseed

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Seed stickers
by Johanna Eckhardt 20 Apr '23

20 Apr '23

Dear all, as we discussed in our last conference call, we'd like to continue with the idea of stickers for seed packages. Since putting stickers on seed packages that will be sold would be quite tricky, an idea was to distribute them at seed swaps in Feb/March 2024 so that people can use them on their own seed packages. But we could contact breeders in autumn 2023 and ask them if they would include info about the "sticker campaign" in their catalogues, etc. or possibly distribute the stickers in other ways. For doing so we wanted to start with designing the sticker. See attached some first drafts. One possibility could be to use the pictures of different patent cases and have a few variations of the stickers (pictures 1-13). Might be attractive for seed swappers. But it may be less well recognisable if we have more variations. The round version doesn't work that well with a longer text, f.e. the German text I chose (pictures 11-13). We could do as well a square version (pictures 14-19). If the stickers are quite small, a text only sticker (pictures 23-24) might be easier to read, but a pretty sticker might be used more. This is just a first draft. We might think about another slogan and the infos we want to include (QR, written link to homepage, NPOS-Logo,.). Another idea that came to my mind was that we might produce the whole seed package if it is for seed swaps. It could leave room to describe the seeds and then have our campaign logo. If it is something that can be used, it might get more distribution. But I guess that would be more expensive. Let me know if you have any ideas - and/or we can talk about it at the next conference call. Best, Johanna Mag. Johanna ECKHARDT Project Coordination Tel. +43 680 21 26 343 <mailto:johanna.eckhardt@no-patents-on-seeds.org> johanna.eckhardt(a)no-patents-on-seeds.org NO PATENTS ON SEEDS! <http://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/> www.no-patents-on-seeds.org <http://www.facebook.com/nopatentsonseeds> www.facebook.com/nopatentsonseeds <http://www.twitter.com/nopatentsonseed> www.twitter.com/nopatentsonseed

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Conference call 13 April - Agenda
by Johanna Eckhardt 13 Apr '23

13 Apr '23

Dear all, please find the draft agenda for our conference call on 13 April below. The agenda is both for the German and English call. In case you’d like to add agenda points, let me know before the meeting or at the beginning of the meeting. Please find the zoom info in the email below. Kind regards, Johanna Agenda 1. Welcome new members * Eva Gelinsky / IG Saatgut * Pat Thomas / Beyond GM 2. Updates 2.1. from countries / member organisations 2.1.1. Austria * end of April press release national patent law → press release NPOS → NPOS sends letter to other countries 2.2. NPOS * EPO staff asked for Conference of ministers: <https://www.suepo.org/> https://www.suepo.org/ 3. Next steps 3.1. Milestones as outlined in Salvia grant agreement – changes needed? In 2023 we will * publish a report about patent research * participate in hearings about our oppositions at the EPO * visit 5 contracting states of the EPO with public outreach / activities * expose one company and their role in seed patents * start our activity with messaging on seed packages * organise a workshop for CSOs (online) * offer a workshop for the experts of the contracting states 3.2. NPOS campaign bus tour to ministries 3.2.1. NL + LU 3.2.1.1. Opposition KWS maize patent (deadline 24.5.) * between 15 and 19 May? 3.2.2. Berlin * Conference of German Ministers of Justice in Berlin 25./26.5. 3.2.3. DK (in same week as Berlin) 3.2.4. EU / BE * new date 6 June Workshop EU parliament 3.3. Patent Report 2023 4. Other 4.1. Update on Syngenta patent on wild pepper * Overview: <https://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/en/patent-cases/pepper> https://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/en/patent-cases/pepper 4.2. Meeting of members 2023 * some final documents (budget 2023, internal minutes) are still being prepared 4.3. Secure communication within NPOS 4.4. Next conference call Mag. Johanna ECKHARDT Project Coordination Tel. +43 680 21 26 343 <mailto:johanna.eckhardt@no-patents-on-seeds.org> johanna.eckhardt(a)no-patents-on-seeds.org NO PATENTS ON SEEDS! <http://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/> www.no-patents-on-seeds.org <http://www.facebook.com/nopatentsonseeds> www.facebook.com/nopatentsonseeds <http://www.twitter.com/nopatentsonseed> www.twitter.com/nopatentsonseed Von: Npos_2018 <npos_2018-bounces(a)testbiotech.de> Im Auftrag von Johanna Eckhardt Gesendet: Sonntag, 19. März 2023 19:42 An: npos_2018(a)testbiotech.de; pat(a)beyond-gm.org; 'E.Gelinsky' <eva.gelinsky(a)ig-saatgut.de> Betreff: [Npos_2018] IMPORTANT Conference call April Dear all, our next conference call will be on Thursday, 13 April: * German call (with members from Germany) from 11h to 12.30h CET Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82665796509?pwd=L0pIOVRvd0Vnd1FLM0hWeXJLZ0RSdz09 Meeting ID: 826 6579 6509 Passcode: 354881 * English call (with the majority of the members) from 13.00h to 14.30h CET Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89580368538?pwd=ak9FYTRYaEo5c2o3eXZzUkNuTHdkQT09 Meeting ID: 895 8036 8538 Passcode: 173238 We’ll send a draft agenda a few days before the meeting. Kind regards, Johanna Mag. Johanna ECKHARDT Project Coordination Tel. +43 680 21 26 343 <mailto:johanna.eckhardt@no-patents-on-seeds.org> johanna.eckhardt(a)no-patents-on-seeds.org NO PATENTS ON SEEDS! <http://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/> www.no-patents-on-seeds.org <http://www.facebook.com/nopatentsonseeds> www.facebook.com/nopatentsonseeds <http://www.twitter.com/nopatentsonseed> www.twitter.com/nopatentsonseed

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Johanna without laptop
by Johanna Eckhardt 13 Apr '23

13 Apr '23

Dear all, I have to get my laptop camera repaired and will be without laptop from now until hopefully only tomorrow. In case you want to contact me, please call me! Best, Johanna Mag. Johanna ECKHARDT Project Coordination Tel. +43 680 21 26 343 <mailto:johanna.eckhardt@no-patents-on-seeds.org> johanna.eckhardt(a)no-patents-on-seeds.org NO PATENTS ON SEEDS! <http://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/> www.no-patents-on-seeds.org <http://www.facebook.com/nopatentsonseeds> www.facebook.com/nopatentsonseeds <http://www.twitter.com/nopatentsonseed> www.twitter.com/nopatentsonseed

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Parliamentary question - E-003819/2022(ASW)
by Anne-Charlotte Moy 12 Apr '23

12 Apr '23

schon gesehen? Parliamentary question- E-003819/2022(ASW) https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2022-003819-ASW_EN.html Answer given by Mr Breton on behalf of the European Commission 16.2.2023 As the Honourable Member rightfully stated, essentially biological processes and products obtained therefrom are not patentable, as a result of Article 53(b) and Rule 28(2) of the European Patent Convention (EPC)[1] <https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2022-003819-ASW_EN.html#d…>, reflected in Article 3(2) of Directive 98/44/EC on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions and the interpretation thereof given by the Commission in its Notice of 8 November 2016[2] <https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2022-003819-ASW_EN.html#d…>. The exclusion from patentability — by Rule 28(2) — of ‘plants or animals exclusively obtained by means of an essentially biological process’ was confirmed by the decision of the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) in the case G 3/19, in line with the Commission’s interpretation set out in the above-mentioned Notice. The Commission is not able to comment on the specific case of patent EP2966992, granted by the EPO (which is not an EU institution), except by noting that claim 1 of that patent includes a disclaimer (‘wherein the seeds belonging to the seed lot are not exclusively obtained by an essentially biological process’), which aims at ensuring that the exclusion of Rule 28(2) is respected. As regards question 1, the Commission wishes to underline that Article 53(b) EPC, reflected in Article 4(1)(a) of Directive 98/44/EC, excludes plant varieties from patentability. However, the Commission is aware of concerns raised from some stakeholders about potential claims being made on traits present in plant varieties that can also be obtained by essentially biological processes. The Commission is not aware of any specific cases, but it is following this matter closely. As regards question 2, and on the basis of the above, the Commission does not, at this stage, plan to propose legislative changes as regards that exclusion. Patenting of plant varieties 23.11.2022 Question for written answer E-003819/2022 to the Commission Rule 138 Sarah Wiener (Verts/ALE) On 8 November 2022, some members of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development spoke about the patenting of individual plant varieties and market concentration in the seed sector. The Commission argued in the committee that essentially biological processes and products obtained therefrom by means of normal selection and breeding are not patentable and that this rule is always respected. Whether a plant was obtained via a technical invention (which is then patentable) or via an ‘essentially biological process’ is not always easy to determine in each case, and seed companies find ways to patent plant varieties. This undermines the sovereignty of EU farmers and is leading to an increasing concentration of individual seed suppliers. An example is patent EP2966992 on high-temperature lettuce seeds, where the seeds are derived from conventional breeding methods, and there are other cases where patents have even been partially revoked in the past. It is worth noting that the ban on patenting applies to all products and plant components used in or produced by essentially biological breeding processes. * 1.Is the Commission aware of the fact that there are ways to bypass the European Patent Convention and the Directive on the Legal Protection of Biotechnological Inventions to patent plant varieties? * 2.Does it see a need to close the gap in legislation on the patenting of plant varieties? Submitted: 23.11.2022 -- Cet e-mail a été vérifié par le logiciel antivirus d'AVG. www.avg.com

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! proposal for program of workshop on 6 of June in the EP
by Christoph Then 11 Apr '23

11 Apr '23

Dear all, we have the opportunity to hold a workshop in EU Parliament on 6 of June to present our new report. The host will be Martin Häusling / Greens, we will look for further MEPs to become Co-Hosts. To agree with the office of Häusling, I have to provide a draft program. Since just the next day, the EU Commission might come up with some proposal on New GE regulation, we also could address CRISPR Patents as discussed in our annual meeting. these are my preliminary ideas (for two hours): Welcome 1. NPOS: Presenting new report (20 Minutes) 2. Testbiotech: Presenting recent findings from CRISPR patents (some additional research) (10 Minutes) 3. NPOS: the legal situation and the role of the EU (10 Minutes - this might be my part) 4. Contributions from the panel (MEPs, COPA/COGECA, Euroseeds, organic breeders, EPO, Commission, Experts from Member States) (30 Minutes) 5. General Discussion (30 Minutes) Final words please come back with your questions, comments and suggestions. Christoph

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test
by Christoph Then 03 Apr '23

03 Apr '23

Dear all sorry for this mail, just testing a new laptop. Christoph

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