ACCESSION OF ECUADOR TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW VARIETIES OF PLANTSThe Government of Ecuador deposited its instrument of accession to the 1978 Act of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants on July 8, 1997. When the accession enters into force on August 8, 1997, the number of member States of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) will be 33. The States are the following: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America, Ukraine, Uruguay. UPOV is an intergovernmental organization which cooperates in administrative matters with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and has its headquarters in the WIPO building in Geneva, Switzerland. The purpose of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants is to recognize and to ensure an intellectual property right to the breeder of a new plant variety. The member States of UPOV grant such a right in accordance with the provisions of the Convention, under their national legislation. To be eligible for protection, varieties have to belong to one of the botanical genera or species on the national list of those eligible for protection (where there is a limited list), be distinct from commonly known varieties and be sufficiently homogeneous and stable. Protected varieties remain available for use as a source of variation for the development of other varieties. [End] |
