The Plant Patent Act, enacted in 1930, was the first of its kind worldwide, Karen Hauda, attorney and advisor for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, explained during a plant patent conference held recently at Pullman, Washington. The act establishes a process for the breeder or discoverer to patent a single plant and its clones. Plants found in an uncultivated state are excluded from patent rights. The concept behind plant patent laws is to encourage the development of novel varieties in exchange for public disclosure of the technology, Hauda said. Plant patent laws apply to reproducing, selling, or using the […]