In the U.S., navigating intellectual property rights that are commonly used on seed can be confusing and complicated. Over the years OSA has developed tools and organized learning events to help growers working with seed, plant breeders, and seed advocates learn and support alternative models. We’ve gathered resources as a one-stop-shop for understanding some of the many aspects of intellectual property rights used on seed. Below is a list of what you’ll find in the toolkit. Explore the resources in detail using the button below.
- A Guide to Seed Intellectual Property Rights was developed to provide seed growers with a toolkit for navigating seed IPR.
- The Reference Table for Intellectual Property Rights on Seed is a quick reference learning tool for growers working with seed and advocates.
- The Seed Patent Watch project advocates for policies that protect seed stewards and takes actions against utility patents and other restrictive forms of intellectual property rights (IPR) that privatize the living, natural resource of seed.
- The Fair and Competitive Seed Report was published in March 2023 as part of the USDA’s inquiry into competition concerns in the seed industry, and in particular, the department looked at how intellectual property (IP) rights foster unfair competition and access to seed by farmers, plant breeders, tribal seed stewards, and other growers.
Funding
The development of these resources was made possible in part thanks to funding from the Clif Family Foundation.
