As we approach the 30th anniversary of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO), we stand at a significant crossroads in the evolution of intellectual property (IP) protection in Europe. Both agencies have played pivotal roles in shaping the European IP landscape.
The EUIPO's management of EU trademarks and registered design protections has significantly boosted the competitiveness of businesses across the EU. Meanwhile, the CPVO has been a cornerstone in the protection of plant varieties, which is vital for advancing agricultural and horticulture related innovation— sectors that are critical to Europe's economy, food security, and environmental sustainability.
The CPVO and the EUIPO continuously cooperate to raise awareness on the importance of IP Protection, by conducting joint events, such as the CPVO-EUIPO Workshop on Plant Variety Rights Enforcement in January 2024. This event highlighted the growing need for effective enforcement mechanisms to protect plant breeders' rights in an increasingly complex and globalized market. It also reflects our shared commitment to supporting breeders through robust IP systems, ensuring that they can continue to innovate while navigating challenges such as climate change and evolving legal frameworks.
As the landscape of IP protection continues to evolve, it is crucial that we work together to align our approaches, providing clear and consistent guidance to IP rights applicants and holders. This alignment will not only facilitate compliance but also enhance the enforcement of IP rights, ensuring that they can fully benefit from their hard-earned innovations.
The constant exchange of good practices, the shared focus on educational topics, with joint workshops, e-learning courses and mutual updates and collaboration on all levels of our two Agencies are all testaments of our shared goals. The CPVO e-learning offer is hosted on the EUIPO Academy Learning Portal, in a dedicated section on Plant Variety Rights.[1]
Joint educational initiatives are essential to raising awareness of IP protection in plant breeding. Through workshops, seminars, and campaigns, breeders gain the knowledge to safeguard their innovations, fostering the development of new plant varieties that enhance sustainability and competitiveness in European agriculture. The cooperation between the two agencies goes beyond EU borders and includes working together in EU-Funded projects directed by the European Commission and implemented by the EUIPO, where the CPVO helps in shaping activities concerning Plant Variety Protection and enforcement. Projects like the IPKey programs, the Intellectual Property Rights & Innovation for Africa (AfrIPI) and all the other projects covering Latin America, the Caribbean region and Asia, are a fundamental platform to exchange best practices with experts all around the world.
Another example of the excellent cooperation is the recent CPVO - EUIPO study[2] that shows the positive impact of CPVR system on EU economy and the environment.
Finally, aligning our policies and procedures remains a priority. Harmonizing our approaches to IP protection will provide clearer, more consistent guidance to breeders, facilitating compliance and strengthening the enforcement of rights across the EU. This is the case, for instance, with the training that the CPVO has provided to EUIPO examiners on the absolute ground for refusal of EU trademark applications in class 31 for agriculture and horticultural products in the case of an already registered identical or similar variety denomination. The developments of the CPVO database Variety Finder are a tribute to the good cooperation between our two agencies. This alignment is essential for ensuring that breeders can fully reap the rewards of their hard work and creativity.
As we celebrate these significant milestones, it is essential to look ahead. By deepening the collaboration between CPVO and EUIPO we can create a more supportive environment for SMEs—the backbone of the European economy. For instance, through the EU-Funded initiative of the SME Fund 2024[3], small and medium sized enterprises can benefit from financial support to protect their IP Rights.
Enabling these inventors, innovators, and visionaries to confidently protect their intellectual property, regardless of the field in which they apply it, is one of the strategic objectives to which we should aim as EU Agencies. By fostering such an environment, we ultimately benefit Europe as a whole.
Francesco Mattina
President of the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO)
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