TITLE: Nicaragua Accedes to UPOV AUTHOR: Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) Secretariat PUBLICATION: UPOV Press Release No. 48 DATE: 6 August 2001 URL: http://www.upov.int/eng/prssrlss/48.htm COMMENTARY FROM GRAIN: In January 1998, Nicaragua signed a bilateral treaty with the United States on intellectual property rights (IPR). It was the first of its kind in Central America and, in the words of the US government itself, was designed to provide a level of IPR protection that goes beyond the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. First, it obliged Nicaragua to enact a law granting monopoly rights over plant varieties based on the UPOV Convention. The government lost no time in presenting such a draft to the National Assembly. This triggered a wave of protest from different sectors of civil society against what became known as "the UPOV law" and eventually led to Supreme Court proceedings on matters of constitutionality. The bill was nevertheless adopted in October 1999. Secondly, the deal with the US also obliged Nicaragua to "make every effort to accede" to UPOV itself. This is what has now been accomplished. But we're not at the end of the story. On top of the UPOV pressure, the bilateral treaty from the US makes no allowance for Nicaragua to exclude plants or animals from its patent law if it so wishes... UPOV Press Release No. 48 Geneva, August 6, 2001 NICARAGUA ACCEDES TO UPOV Today Nicaragua became the forty-ninth member State of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). The purpose of the UPOV Convention is to acknowledge the achievements of breeders of new plant varieties by granting them an exclusive property right on the basis of a set of uniform and clearly defined principles. To be eligible for protection, varieties have to meet certain conditions such as being distinct from existing, commonly known varieties and sufficiently homogeneous and stable. Protection is given to plant breeders as an incentive to the development of agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Improved varieties are a necessary and cost-effective ingredient for achieving food security in a sustainable way. The Director General of WIPO, Dr. Kamil Idris, who is also Secretary-General of UPOV, welcomed the accession of Nicaragua to the UPOV Convention (1978 Act). The member States of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) are: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay. UPOV, an intergovernmental organization based in Geneva, cooperates in administrative matters with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). For further information about UPOV, please contact the UPOV Secretariat: Tel: (+41-22) 338 9155 E-mail: upov.mail(at)wipo.int Fax: (+41-22) 733 0336 Website: www.upov.int _ GOING FURTHER (compiled by GRAIN) "Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Nicaragua concerning Protection of Intellectual Property Rights", 7 January 1998. http://199.88.185.106/tcc/data/commerce_html/TCC_2/Nicaragu aIPR.html Ley de Protección para las Obtenciones Vegetales, Ley No 318, publicada el 29 de noviembre de 1999 (La Gaceta, D.O. No 228). http://www.sice.oas.org/int_prop/nat_leg/Nicaragua/L318.asp Reglamento de la Ley de Protección para las Obtenciones Vegetales (Decreto No 37-2000), publicada en La Gaceta, Diario Oficial, No. 228 del 29 de Noviembre de 1999. http://www.sice.oas.org/int_prop/nat_leg/Nicaragua/D37.asp Centro Humboldt, "Nicaragua: Movilización ciudadana contra el ingreso a UPOV", Managua, 20 de Noviembre 2000. http://www.biodiversidadla.org/noticias93.htm Centro Humboldt, "La biodiversidad en el contexto de su privatización en Nicaragua", Managua, 7 de julio del 2000. http://www.ibw.com.ni/~humboldt/biodiversidad.htm Magda Lanuza et al., "Organizaciones de la sociedad civil en Nicaragua contra la UPOV", Biodiversidad: Sustento y Culturas, GRAIN/REDES-AT, Montevideo, Diciembre 1999. http://www.grain.org/sp/publications/biodiv227-sp-p.htm "Biodiversidad y Propiedad Intelectual", Declaración del Seminario Taller por la Vida y el Conocimiento Colectivo, Granada, Nicaragua, 15 de Diciembre del 1999. http://www.prodiversitas.org/doc14.htm Rural Advancement Foundation International, "TRIPS Traps or Dice? Gambling with World Food Security", ECHOES, World Council of Churches, Geneva, no date. http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/jpc/trips.html Some press clippings from the national debate: -- Leslie Nicolás Lacayo, "Transgénicos: un mercado especulativo", La Prensa, Managua, 3 de Diciembre del 2000. http://www-ni.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2000/diciembre/03/nac ionales/nacionales-20001203-01.html -- Luis Chavarria G., "Ley UPOV traerá gravísimos daños: Venden como materia prima a indígenas y sus tierras", El Nuevo Diario, Managua, 3 de octubre del 1999. http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/archivo/1999/octubre/11-oct ubre-1999/nacional/nacional6.html -- Darwin Juárez, "¿Una ley para otorgar patente de corso al obtentor de patentes vegetales?", El Nuevo Diario, Managua, 25 de Julio de 1999. http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/archivo/1999/julio/25-julio -1999/opinion/opinion1.html