TWN
Info Service on Intellectual Property Issues (Apr14/06)
8 April 2014
Third World Network
APBREBES
Updates
on Plant Variety Protection
Issue
#6 – 7 April 2014
Content
1.
Editorial
2. AFSA Press Release: Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa
(AFSA) strongly
condemns sleight of hand moves by ARIPO to join UPOV 1991, bypass
national
laws and outlaw Farmers' Rights
3. AFSA's comments on ARIPO's responses to Civil Society on
Draft ARIPO Legal
Framework on Plant Variety Protection
4. Chile withdraws controversial ‘Monsanto Law’ from Congress
5. Civil society organisations from all over the world petition Ghana’s
Parliament on
its Draft Plant Breeders Bill
6. Biopiracy of Turkey's purple carrot
•
Calendar
• Subscribe
• Feedback & Contact
1.
Editorial
The sixth issue of APBREBES Updates published just before the UPOV
spring session highlights strong civil society opposition against
the Africa Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO) and
its 18 member states acceding to UPOV 1991 and against the Ghanaian
Plant Breeders' Bill; withdrawal by the Chilean government from its
legislative process its proposed law that would have brought Chilean
PVP legislation in line with UPOV 1991; and a biopiracy case that
documents misappropriation of a farmer variety originating in Turkey.
2.
Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) strongly condemns sleight
of hand moves by ARIPO to join UPOV 1991, bypass national laws and
outlaw Farmers' Rights
Addis Ababa, Accra 3 April 2014 - The Alliance for Food Sovereignty
in Africa (AFSA) issued a press release strongly condemning the move
by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO)
to join UPOV 1991, which will effectively outlaw the centuries-old
African farmers’ practice of freely using, exchanging and selling
seeds/propagating material. These practices underpin 90% of the agricultural
system within the ARIPO region.
Read
more
3.
AFSA's comments on ARIPO's responses to Civil Society on Draft
ARIPO Legal Framework on Plant Variety Protection
African civil society & AFSA have made several submissions to
ARIPO detailing its many concerns with the content of the Draft Legal
Framework on PVP, which is based on UPOV 1991, and the bias and lack
of transparency in the processes leading to the
finalization of the Draft ARIPO Legal Framework on Plant Variety Protection.
Most recently AFSA submitted detailed comments to ARIPO's responses
to civil society.
Read
more
4.
Chile withdraws controversial ‘Monsanto Law’ from Congress
Following protests in many Chilean cities (see APBREBES Updates issue
#3) and years of controversy, on 18th March, the Chilean government
withdrew from its legislative process, the proposed Plant Growers
Law (commonly known as "the Monsanto Law") that would have
brought Chilean PVP law in line with UPOV 1991
Read
more
5.
Civil society organisations from all over the world petition
Ghana’s Parliament on Plant Breeders Bill
Food Sovereignty Ghana, February 20, 2014: Organizations from Africa
and around the world petition Ghana’s Parliament: Ghana’s Plant Breeders
Bill lacks legitimacy! It must be revised
Read
more
6.
Biopiracy of Turkey's purple carrot
Agribusiness giant Monsanto is marketing a purple carrot originating
in Turkey over which Monsanto has claimed plant variety rights in
the EU and the US.
Read
more
Calendar
of Events
Spring
2014 session of UPOV bodies
Thursday, 10 April Administrative and
Legal Committee CAJ/69
Friday, 11 April (morning) Consultative Committee CC/87 CLOSED TO
OBSERVERS
Friday, 11 April (afternoon) Council
See
also the Upcoming
Events on our website
Subscribe
Subscribe
to the APBREBES Newsletter.
You
are welcome to forward this issue to other interested individuals
or organisations.
Feedback
& Contact
Susanne Gura, APBREBES Coordinator
Tel: 0049 228 948 0670
Mob: 0049 177 669 1400
Mail: contact@apbrebes.org
Web: www.apbrebes.org
