Protected Intellectual Achievements Enable Breeders to Make Great Strides in Innovation
According to the AFA, Taiwan has designated 226 plant types as eligible for plant variety right protection. Varieties exhibiting novelty, distinctness, uniformity, stability, and an appropriate variety denomination qualify for plant variety rights protection. As of January 2025, the country has processed 3,286 applications, with rights granted to 1,640 varieties. Of these, international applicants submitted 676 applications, with 278 successfully securing variety rights. This impressive array of newly developed and introduced varieties underscores the effectiveness of Taiwan's plant variety rights protection framework, expanding cultivation options for farmers while bolstering the competitive edge of the agricultural sector.Easy Access to Plant Variety Rights Information Helps Avoid Infringement and Penalties
The AFA emphasizes that propagating and selling protected plant varieties requires explicit authorization from rights holders. Furthermore, under Article 19, Paragraph 2 of the Plant Variety and Plant Seed Act, new varieties receive "temporary protection" from the moment of public disclosure until final approval. During this interim period, agricultural producers and businesses must still secure consent from applicants for any commercial utilization to prevent infringement. To ensure compliance, stakeholders can access details on variety names, physical characteristics, application publication dates, and rights protection through the Ministry of Agriculture's Plant Variety Protection database (https://pvr.afa.gov.tw). The agency stresses that new plant varieties embody years of intellectual investment by breeders, urging public respect for plant variety rights by refraining from unauthorized propagation, sale, or cultivation of protected varieties. Such practices foster domestic variety improvement while facilitating the introduction of premier international varieties, collectively advancing agricultural development.
