Plant variety protection is an exclusivity right comparable with the patent. It serves to safeguard the cultivation work and therefore the promotion of plant cultivation. The object of protection is the specific plant variety. A variety constitutes the lowest level of a rising hierarchy (variety, species, genus, family, order, class, strain).

Within the meaning of the plant variety protection law, a variety is understood to mean a totality of plants or plant parts, insofar as complete plants can again be obtained from the latter, within a specific taxon of the lowest known rank, which, irrespective of whether it corresponds to the prerequisites for the grant of a plant variety protection,

1. can be defined by the expression of the characteristics resulting from a genotype or a specific combination of genotypes,
2. can be distinguished from any other totality of plants or plant parts by the expression of at least one of these characteristics and
3. can be regarded as a unit in terms of its suitability for being multiplied unchanged.

In order to acquire a plant variety protection, the plant variety must be distinguishable, homogeneous, invariable, new and identified by a registerable plant variety designation. The application for plant variety protection has to be made to the Federal Plant Variety Office in Hanover. As authorised representatives, we will be happy to act on your behalf in the area of plant variety protection.