A cooperative that has developed a plant is likely to want intellectual property protection, but when traditional foods are involved, a cooperative may be interested in making sure access to the plant stays unimpeded. Cooperatives also have an interest in fair competition; no farmer in a cooperative wants to be at a disadvantage compared to other farmers who have an exclusive license to access a superior plant.
This webinar will provide a broad overview of plant patents, plant-related utility patents, plant variety protection certificates, and trade secrets. Speakers from the U.S. Patent Office, USDA, and the University of Madison, Wisconsin will discuss how plant inventions can be protected and innovations in seeds promoted. Additionally, they will address methods to assure that farmers in cooperatives continue to have access to plants for traditional foods. The webinar will also address anticompetitive behavior that may arise when farmers license plant genetic materials.
Speakers
Hasan Ahmed is a Patent Attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Office of Policy and International Affairs, where he works mainly on public health, biotechnology, and plant intellectual property policy issues. Prior to joining OPIA, he was a patent examiner in the pharmaceutical arts. Prior to joining USPTO, he was a biomedical researcher at various academic labs.
Kiki Hubbard is an outreach program manager in the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She brings more than 20 years of experience in the area of seed policy to support the activities of USDA’s Farmer Seed Liaison initiative.
Paulina Jenney, an Outreach Program Manager for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, coordinates implementation of the Farmer Seed Liaison initiative, a cooperative agreement between the USDA and UW-Madison. The Farmer Seed Liaison connects seed growers and intellectual property administrators, antitrust regulators, licensing and labeling enforcers, and other federal partners to ensure that farmers have the choices they need to be successful. She has a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana.
Mara Sanders is a plant variety intellectual property professional at USDA with a research background in plant science and experience in germplasm collection and management. She holds a Master of Science in Plant Biology and a Master of Business and Science in Global Agriculture both from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Her graduate research was focused on African Indigenous Vegetables and exploring roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) as an ultra-niche crop for New Jersey. She is passionate about food security, specifically, the role seed systems and germplasm resources play in creating sustainable agriculture systems.
Optional pre-reading:
New Developments in Biotechnology: Patenting Life Special Report Chapter 5 Intellectual Property and Plants
More and Better Choices for Farmers: Promoting Fair Competition and Innovation in Seeds and Other Agricultural Inputs
Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy
