It provides an account of how to integrate the requirements of the CBD into an equitable global IPR regime, taking into account ethical concerns, environmental and social impacts, technology transfer and traditional knowledge."--Jacket.

The study provides an overview of the international intellectual property system regulating plant varieties. It identifies the essential features of this system, including the policies supporting the grant of intellectual property rights (IPRs) and the societal objectives in tension with IPRs, the institutions that have shaped the international intellectual property system, and the basic components contained in the relevant international treaties. The study aims to set forth regulatory options for national governments to protect plant varieties while achieving other public policy objectives relating to plant genetic resources.

Sponsored by U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, and the Association of Systematics Collections.

This anchor volume to the series Managing Global Genetic Resources examines the structure that underlies efforts to preserve genetic material, including the worldwide network of genetic collections; the role of biotechnology; and a host of issues that surround management and use. Among the topics explored are in situ versus ex situ conservation, management of very large collections of genetic material, problems of quarantine, the controversy over ownership or copyright of genetic material, and more.

People, Plants and Patents: The impact of intellectual property on biodiversity, conservation, trade and rural society

History and development. The FAO global system for the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. The International treaty on plant genetic resources for dood and agriculture. The Convention on Biological Diversity. Origin and movement of OGR: implications for acess and benefit-sharing policies. The TRIPS agreement. UPOV. Phytosanitary and biosafety measures. Development and improvement of genetic resources. Cross-cutting issues. Economic issues.