Dear All

As a follow-up to the petition we delivered to our government a while ago, we are working with our patent office on the idea of a conference – to discuss the relevant issues regarding patents on plants. 

The idea as it stands now, is the following:

We are doing the conference back-to-back with a meeting of the Patent Law Committee at the EPO in Munich. Target date between 17 and 28 February 2025 (the date of the Patent Law Committee in February is not yet fixed), approx. 4 hours (or more?). Physical and virtual participation possible. Target audience: EPO delegates, EU and national politicians, breeders, NGOs. Our patent office will check with the EPO.

We would like to have a first draft of the program by Mid-July and we see following cornerstones :

Implementation/circumvention/the limits of Rule 28b (random mutagenesis, patents on gene sequences, overarching NGT/gentech patents, opportunities and limits of the disclaimer.

Further possible measures at national level (freedom to operate à la Austria, simplification of cross and compulsory licences)

Transparency: What Pinto can and cannot do; alternative strategies (CH proposal, discussion in the context of seed law revision in the EU)

Patents and NGT: The end of the breeder's privilege? - Possibilities to limit negative effects on breeders' access, possible solutions.

• If you have any ideas, wishes etc. what should be discussed, presented, etc  and if you have any proposals about potential speakers please share them with me by June 10th.

Thanks and best wishes

François