TITLE: Accession of the Republic of Moldova to the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants PUBLICATION: UPOV Press Release, No. 32 DATE: 28 September 1998 SOURCE: Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), Geneva URL: http://www.upov.int/eng/prssrlss/32.htm UPOV Press Release No. 32 Geneva, September 28, 1998 ACCESSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW VARIETIES OF PLANTS The Government of the Republic of Moldova deposited its instrument of accession to the 1991 Act of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants on September 28, 1998. The deposit by the Republic of Moldova of its instrument of accession brings to eight the number of States which have adhered to the 1991 Act of the Convention. The 1991 Act, which effects important revisions to the UPOV Convention, came into force on April 24, 1998. The 1978 Act of the Convention became closed to further accessions on April 24, 1998, except for States which have started the accession process prior to that date. When the accession by the Republic of Moldova enters into force on October 28, 1998, the number of member States of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) will be 38. The member States are as follows: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, 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.