Queensland, Australia
October 31, 2008
University of Queensland researchers will draw on a recent
trend of patenting new plant and animal varieties to see if it
will enhance or hinder the Australia's agricultural industry.
The team of researchers headed by Professor Brad Sherman from
the Australian Centre for
Intellectual Property in Agriculture (ACIPA) within the TC
Beirne School of Law, have been awarded an Australian Research
Council Discovery Project grant to study the effect of patents
on the agricultural industry.
"In the past 10 years there has been a shift towards patenting
new plants, microorganisms and animals," Professor Sherman said.
"This trend has the potential to transform existing research,
development arrangements and industry practices in Australia.
"By looking at the effects this trend has had on the
agricultural industry, the project will provide a critical
analysis of the ongoing relevance of intellectual property in
this important field."
The development of new plant varieties is crucial to the ongoing
competitiveness and sustainability of Australian agriculture. It
also has wider social, cultural and economic consequences.
The project will provide policy makers and stakeholders with
recommendations on how to respond to and manage these changes.
It will ultimately assist with promoting plant breeding in
Australia and also enhance the sustainability and
competitiveness of Australian agriculture.
ACIPA aims to produce high quality research focusing on
intellectual property in agriculture, and to highlight the
unique and distinctive intellectual property issues that arise
in the agriculture sector. |
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