SEED POLICY DIALOGUE – Patents and open-source approaches
As we do every month, we meet on Thursday from 5:00-6:30 p.m. Central European Time to address a topic involving seed policies and legislation.
With the expertise of lawyer Fulya Batur and EC-LLD members this time we will speak with No Patent on Seeds! and GOSSI – the Global Coalition of Open Source Seed Initiatives.
On agenda:
1- Presentation of the hottest topic of Sprouts from Brussels and patents framework. Fulya Batur (Kybele)
2- Presentation about recent developments on patents on seeds. Johanna Eckhardt, (No patents on seeds!)
3 – Seed as a commons – the Global Coalition of Open Source Seed Initiatives. Johannes Kotschi (GOSSI and Agrecol)
4- Q&A session- Opening the floor to questions and propositions
Join us! The meeting will be in EN and FR.
Our guest:
The European coalition NO PATENTS ON SEEDS! is fighting for the access to seeds for farmers and breeders and against the increasing monopolisation of the resources needed for our daily food. Patents on plants and animals hinder the access to seeds and put at risk food sovereignty and food security on a European and a global level. Although European patent law prohibits patents on plants and animals derived from conventional breeding, legal loopholes at the European Patent Office allowed for over 200 patents on conventional breeding to be granted and over 1.000 applications to be filed in the last couple of years, f.e. on broccoli, tomatoes, soybeans, lettuce, salmon, etc. At a hearing on a patent case on barley and beer in June our complaint has been rejected again and the EPO missed its chance to answer fundamental legal questions. We run public campaigns and talk to experts to make policy makers aware that we need a clear prohibition on patents on plants and animals derived from conventional breeding to protect our common interests. More info on ourย website,ย Facebookย andย Twitter!
GOSSI is an international coalition of organizations and individuals – farmers, seed keepers, plant breeders, activists – working to ensure that seeds can be freely used and shared in perpetuity. To the interlocked challenges of concentrated corporate power and use restrictions on seeds, a variety of initiatives around the world have found โopen sourceโ and โcopyleftโ approaches to be a compelling alternative. People and organizations all over the world have been inspired by the potential of open source approaches for seed freedom. Open source is not just hypothetical, it is now a system that has been enacted and is working in multiple locations in the Global North and the Global South. GOSSI’s mission is to support networks of collaborating breeders, seed companies and farmers who are committed to developing, sharing and distributing seeds that are unencumbered by restrictions on use.
GOSSI-Website: https://opensourceseeds.org/en/gossi
Blog entry on GOSSI: https://opensourceseeds.org/en/blog/international-alliance-strengthens-farmers-seed-systems
If you missed the previous meeting, here the last Dialogues:
April’s Dialogue regarding Genome Editing. Presentation of Fulya BATUR.
May’s Dialogue regarding the upcoming Seed Law Reform of the European Commision. Presentation of Fulya BATUR and Magdalena PRIELER (Arche Noah):
The SEED POLICY DIALOGUE, once a month exchange with Fulya Batur and EC-LLD Members to analyse the Sprouts From Brussels newsletter and the hottest topics from Brussels.
