The research for the selection and creation of living organisms such as plants or microorganisms conducted by and horticultural, agricultural and biotechnology institutes and companies is essential for the modern society and often requires large investments. In order to encourage those involved in these research sectors, intellectual property rights in France, Europe, the USA and China now make it possible to protect this research and grant a 20 to 30 years monopoly of exploitation to them.
However, the protection conditions and procedures are numerous and evolve in time. It is recommended that you consult with an IP firm with biotechnology experts (see Biothechnology) who will help you:
- Request a Certificate of Plant Variety Protection (COV) to protect your new, created or discovered plant varieties (see Proprietary Variety Protection (COV)).
- Request a patent for a micro-organism, a micro-alga, a bio-marker or even a discovered or created genetically modified organism (GMO) (see Patents).
- Valorize the results of your research, for example by operating license agreements (see Contracts and Audits).
- Detect possible counterfeiters (see Trademarks surveillance and Patents surveillance).
- Enforce your intellectual property rights acquired by the various obtained protections (see Pre-litigation and Litigation).
