Self-financed and based at Angers: the office that grants plant variety rights in Europe

Background

The Community Plant Variety Office is a self-financed agency of the European Union responsible for the management of the Community Plant Variety Rights System. It is located in Angers in France. The office was created by Council Regulation 2100/94 and has been operational since April 1995. Its task is to administer the plant variety rights system in Europe, a system that gives protection with an intellectual property right for new plant varieties. The office calls this system the largest in the world. Its own page says that since the office was created over 53,000 applications have reached it, and that over 41,000 titles are in force at present. The legal unit of the office represents it in appeal proceedings before the Board of Appeal and before the Court of Justice of the European Union, and also advises on the register of rights, on public access to documents and on procurement.