Legal protection of plant biotechnological inventions

Within biotechnology, plant production is regarded as one of the most promising adaptations. New plant breeding methods are considered to better fulfil the requirements set on patentability than the traditional breeding methods. In Europe, a plant variety can be protected by special legislation. The present patent laws in Europe are not applied to plant biotechnological inventions. The United States has three systems under which new varieties of plants may be protected. These include The 1930 Plant Patent Act, The 1970 Plant Variety Protection Act and The 1952 Patent Statute. Companies that have specialized in plant breeding and organizations representing the industrial countries recommend improvements to the legal protection. On the other hand, farmers and the developing countries are against better protection

Legal protection of plant biotechnological inventions

vokkirjasto Aj-KKasvibiotekniikan oikeudellinen suoj

Kasvibiotekniikan oikeudellinen suoja

Within biotechnology, plant production is regarded as one of the most promising adaptations. New plant breeding methods are considered to better fulfil the requirements set on patentability than the traditional breeding methods. In Europe, a plant variety can be protected by special legislation. The present patent laws in Europe are not applied to plant biotechnological inventions. The United States has three systems under which new varieties of plants may be protected. These include The 1930 Plant Patent Act, The 1970 Plant Variety Protection Act and The 1952 Patent Statute. Companies that have specialized in plant breeding and organizations representing the industrial countries recommend improvements to the legal protection. On the other hand, farmers and the developing countries are against better protection.Keksinnön on täytettävä tietyt ehdot, jotta se voidaan patentoida. Patenttilain soveltamista kasveihin rajoittaa perussääntö, jonka mukaan keksinnön tulee olla sillä tavalla kuvattu, että asiantuntija voi kuvauksen perusteella toistaa keksinnön. Nykyään katsotaan, että tällaista kuvausta ei voida antaa elävästä organismista. Tästä johtuen on kasvilajikkeille kehitetty oma, patenttia vastaava, UPOV-sopimuksessa määritelty suoja. Yhtenä biotekniikan lupaavimpana sovelluksena pidetään kasvintuotantoa. Kasvinjalostuksessa käytettävien bioteknisten jalostusmenetelmien katsotaan täyttävän patentoinnille asetetut ehdot paremmin kuin perinteisten menetelmien. Tämän perusteella on vaadittu patenttisuojan laajentamista koskemaan myös uusia kasvilajikkeita. Euroopan patenttisopimuksen piirissä oikeuskäytäntö on vielä vakiintumaton. Lainsäädäntöprosessi vaikuttaa niin hitaalta, että nykyistä lakia joudutaan tulkitsemaan mahdollisimman väljästi. Tällä hetkellä kasvimateriaali näyttää patentoimiskelpoiselta, mutta asiaa selventävät ennakkotapaukset puuttuvat. Yhdysvalloissa patenttilainsäädäntö on mukautunut biotekniikan kehitykseen paremmin kuin Euroopassa. Yhdysvalloissa on mahdollista suojata kasveja tuotepatenteilla ja valita suojan muodoksi patentti tai jalostajanoikeudet. UPOV:in tarjoaman kasvilajikesuojan pahimpina heikkouksina pidetään jatkojalostusoikeutta ja viljelijän oikeutta käyttää satoaan siemenenä. Näiden oikeuksien katsotaan tarjoavan mahdollisuuksia suojan kiertämiseen. Kasvinjalostustyötä tekevät yritykset ja teollisuusmaita edustavat järjestöt suosittelevat suojan parantamista. Parantuneen suojan katsotaan vauhdittavan alan kehitystä. Sitävastoin viljelijät ja kehitysmaiden edustajat ovat kasvilajikesuojan parantamista vastaan. Viljelijät pelkäävät siementen kallistumista ja liiallista riippuvuutta siementuottajasta. Kehitysmaissa epäillään monikansallisten yritysten vaikutusvallan kasvavan parantuneen lajikesuojan myötä

Modelling the impact of climatic change on growth of spring barley in Finland

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Infection resistant plants and methods for their generation

The invention relates generally to transgenic plants that are resistant to BYDV infection through the expression of modified forms of messenger RNA (mRNA) that encodes a viral replicase. The method comprises the step of transforming a modified replicase nucleic acid molecule into a plant cell, wherein the expression of said replicase nucleic acid molecule results I the expression of a translationally-altered RNA molecule which confers to said plant resistance against infection with BYDV

Species-specific sequences in the genus Solanum: identification, characterization, and application to study somatic hybrids of S. brevidens and S. tuberosum

To aid in the identification and analysis of somatic hybrids between potato (Solanum tuberosum, dihaploid line PDH 40) and the non tuber-bearing wild species S. brevidens, a series of species-specific repetitive DNA sequences have been isolated. This was accomplished by making libraries of HaeIII-digested total DNA of S. tuberosum and S. brevidens, by cloning fragments into the SmaI site of plasmid pUC18 and transforming them into E. coli (JM83). The S. brevidens library consisted of 1,000 recombinant clones, and that of S. tuberosum, 700. Nitrocellulose filters with recombinant clones were hybridised to nick-translated total DNA of S. brevidens and also S. tuberosum, and, following autoradiography, clones that hybridised strongly to the DNA of only one of the species were chosen. Two highly repeated S. brevidens clones (pSB1, 400 bp and pSB7,210 bp), one highcopy-number s. tuberosum clone (pST10, 200 bp) and one low-copy-number sequence of S. tuberosum (pST3, 1.5 kbp) were selected for further analysis by Southern hybridisation to digested total DNA. Clone pSB7 gave a ladder pattern on hybridisation to EcoR1-digested total DNA of S. brevidens, with signals at multiples of 200 bp DNA. Using these probes it was possible to verify the hybridity of putative hybrids of dihaploid S. tuberosum and S.brevidens, and to confirm by Southern analysis and by slot blots the parental genome dosage of hexaploid hybrids (two s. brevidens: one S. tuberosum, and vice-versa). The S. tuberosum-specific probe, pSTIO, hybridised with DNA of three other tuber-bearing wild species (S. hjertingii, S. capsicibaccatum and S. berthaultii). A squash-blot procedure was developed using the probes that would allow early identification of somatic hybrid callus. There are a number of useful applications of such species-specific probes in the identification and analysis of somatic hybrids

Species-specific sequences in the genus solanum - identification, characterization, and application to study somatic hybrids of solanum-brevidens and solanum-tuberosum

To aid in the identification and analysis of somatic hybrids between potato (Solanum tuberosum, dihaploid line PDH 40) and the non tuber-bearing wild species S. brevidens, a series of species-specific repetitive DNA sequences have been isolated. This was accomplished by making libraries of HaeIII-digested total DNA of S. tuberosum and S. brevidens, by cloning fragments into the SmaI site of plasmid pUC18 and transforming them into E. coli (JM83). The S. brevidens library consisted of 1,000 recombinant clones, and that of S. tuberosum, 700. Nitrocellulose filters with recombinant clones were hybridised to nick-translated total DNA of S. brevidens and also S. tuberosum, and, following autoradiography, clones that hybridised strongly to the DNA of only one of the species were chosen. Two highly repeated S. brevidens clones (pSB1, 400 bp and pSB7,210 bp), one highcopy-number s. tuberosum clone (pST10, 200 bp) and one low-copy-number sequence of S. tuberosum (pST3, 1.5 kbp) were selected for further analysis by Southern hybridisation to digested total DNA. Clone pSB7 gave a ladder pattern on hybridisation to EcoR1-digested total DNA of S. brevidens, with signals at multiples of 200 bp DNA. Using these probes it was possible to verify the hybridity of putative hybrids of dihaploid S. tuberosum and S.brevidens, and to confirm by Southern analysis and by slot blots the parental genome dosage of hexaploid hybrids (two s. brevidens: one S. tuberosum, and vice-versa). The S. tuberosum-specific probe, pSTIO, hybridised with DNA of three other tuber-bearing wild species (S. hjertingii, S. capsicibaccatum and S. berthaultii). A squash-blot procedure was developed using the probes that would allow early identification of somatic hybrid callus. There are a number of useful applications of such species-specific probes in the identification and analysis of somatic hybrids. Key word