Peru receives first application through UPOV-PRISMA tool

By Espinosa Bellido Abogados

The application was presented to Peru's IP Office (Indecopi) by Washington State University and relates to a new and distinct variety of red raspberry plant (Rubus idaeus L.) named ‘Cascade Harvest’ adapted to the raspberry production area of the Pacific Northwest. ‘Cascade Harvest’ is primarily characterized by suitability for machine harvestability, tolerance to root rot, resistance to raspberry bushy dwarf virus and large, conical fruit that is longer than it is broad.

The application was presented through UPOV PRISMA, a reliable, user-friendly and smart way for breeders to protect their new varieties in different target markets – and ensure that farmers have access to the best and most suitable varieties. Its multilingual interface (Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese) enhances usability for breeders around the world. 

The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) administers an international system of intellectual property (IP) rights that protect plant breeders’ rights and encourage innovation in agriculture through the development of new varieties of plants. UPOV is an intergovernmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. 

When a country joins UPOV, it benefits from support in establishing its domestic plant variety protection (PVP) system and can take advantage of opportunities to collaborate with international partners. Membership of UPOV helps ensure that plant variety protection extends to the widest range of plant genera and species for maximum economic, social and environmental benefit.

To obtain protection for a new variety, breeders need to file individual applications with the PVP Offices of the UPOV members in which they are seeking protection. That rather cumbersome administrative process has been made significantly easier with the launch of UPOV PRISMA, a multilingual online tool that saves plant breeders time and money.