A patent is an exclusive right that is granted to the patent owner for a limited period of time. In 2015, it was the first time in European history, that this right was granted to the classically bred plant. Previously, patents were allocated only to genetically modified plants, because classical breeding was regarded as an essentially biological process which according to European patent law can not be patented. This decision of the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office has launched a stormy debate in public. It raises the question how this decision will affect the future of European agriculture, as well as plant breeding and seed industry's future. Annual income only for the sale of seeds and seedlings, by assessment for the European Union amounts to seven billion euros. The key issue in patent protection is the lack of so-called breeders' exemption, which enabled easy access to the genetic material to all interested parties. In this way, the development of new varieties, more fertile and more resistant to diseases was accelerated. Fear exists that with new interpretation of the European patent law, competition can be substantially reduced, and that prices of seeds and consequently the food can be greatly increased.
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