INVITATION to the Swiss-Food Talk – Thursday, March 12, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Protecting Innovations, Securing Access: Transparency for Patented Plant Traits

New breeding technologies offer great opportunities for more sustainable agriculture. With these innovations, patent protection is also coming into focus. Policymakers at the EU level and in Switzerland are currently discussing how transparency regarding patented plant traits can be increased in practice and how access can be ensured. A driving force for this in Switzerland is the motion "More transparency for patents in the field of plant breeding".

The central question is: How will this be implemented? Breeders rely on access to genetic material. At the same time, clear rules are needed for both the protection and the use of intellectual property. The next Swiss-Food Talk will show how this balance can be achieved and which transparency models provide legal certainty without hindering innovation.

We will highlight concrete and practical solutions from administration and industry:

• The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) explains how patents and plant variety protection interact and provides an overview of current developments in patent transparency in the field of plant breeding.

• The Agricultural Crop Licensing Platform (ACLP) will explain how breeders can easily and legally access protected material.

• In addition, BASF provides explanations regarding the International Licensing Platform (ILP) focused on vegetables.

In three concise presentations, our experts will report on current developments. Afterwards, there will be ample time for questions and an open discussion.

Thursday, March 12, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
The talk will take place as a Zoom video conference.

The Speakers:

• Anaïc Cordoba, Legal Counsel, IGE

• Hélène Guillot, Managing Director, ACLP

• Thorsten Berg, Vice President IP Seeds, Traits, Operations & IP Intelligence, BASF

Moderation: Nicole Borel, Head Communication Switzerland & CS EMEA Bayer

The presentations by Anaïc Cordoba and Hélène Guillot will be held in English. Thorsten Berg's presentation will be in German. Questions for the speakers can subsequently be asked in German, French, or English.