Effective System of Plant Variety Protection in Responding to Challenges of a Changing World: UPOV Perspective

74-83The UPOV Convention was adopted in 1961, and it entered into force in 1968. The Convention aims at encouraging innovation in the field of plant breeding. It provides a legal framework and system of implementation of plant variety protection and is the only internationally harmonized, effective sui generis system of plant variety protection. The UPOV Convention was amended in 1972, 1978 and 1991. UPOV had 68 members as on 4 November 2010, and the numbers continue to expand. The impact study carried out by an ad hoc working group, and published by UPOV has shown the benefits of an effective sui generis system of plant variety protection.