Online Talk
Opposition against a patent on maize
No Patents on Seeds! will publish a new report and provide background information shortly before a public hearing at the European Patent Office (EPO) about a patent on maize. We will be joined online by a representative of a Dutch maize breeding company. The Online Talk will take place on:
Monday, 14 October 2024, 11h-12h AM, CET
The opposition: the online hearing on an opposition against KWS patent, EP3380618, will start at 9.00h AM CET on 15 October. In the patent, KWS claims maize plants obtained from new genetic engineering and conventional breeding as its inventions. The decision on the opposition is expected at the end of the hearing. This opposition was filed by the No Patents on Seeds! coalition. The public hearing can be followed online.
The Online Talk: as part of our Online Talk, Grietje Raaphorst-Travaille from the Dutch company, Nordic Maize Breeding, will report on the problems with these and similar patents.
Besides providing background information to the KWS patent, the Online Talk will review current developments seen in patent applications filed for seeds. On the same day, No Patents on Seeds! will present and publish a new report on the situation in Europe. As the report shows, patents and patent applications on conventionally bred plants are steadily increasing. In this context, new genetic engineering (NGT) plays an important role. In case of interest, the report can be made available in advance.
The following experts will join us for the Online Talk:
Grietje Raaphorst-Travaille, a representative of the Dutch company, Nordic Maize Breeding Find the presentation here.
Johanna Eckhardt, No Patents on Seeds! Find the presentation here.
Christoph Then, No Patents on Seeds! Find the presentation here.
Background material on the KWS patent: https://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/en/maize-cold-resistance
You can download the recording of the Online talk (without Q&A part) via SwissTransfer here.
The link is valid until 13 Nov. 2024. After that please contact johanna.eckhardt@no-patents-on-seeds.org.
