Intellectual Property Law and Plant Protection

"This book provides a detailed and critical account of the emergence, development and implementation of plant variety protection laws in Asian countries. Each chapter undertakes a critical socio-legal analysis of one or more legal frameworks to understand, evaluate, and explore: the concerns of diverse national stakeholders; the histories and dynamics of law-making; and the ways in which plant variety protection and seed certification laws interact with local agricultural systems. The book also assesses how Asian countries can capitalise on the 'unused policy space' in international agreements such as TRIPS and UPOV, as well as international obligations beyond this, such as those contained in the CBD and the Plant Treaty. It also highlights the many ways Asian experiences can offer new insights into how regimes that grant intellectual property rights in plants might be re-imagined in other regions, including Africa, Europe and the Americas. By adding an important new perspective to the ongoing debate on intellectual property and plants, this book will appeal to academics, practitioners and policymakers engaged in work surrounding intellectual property laws, agricultural biodiversity and plant breeding"--