AFX News

European Patents Office Allows Patents On Genetically Modified Plants

The European Patents Office said it will allow patents for genetically modified plants to be lodged. Ulrich Schatz, the office's international affairs director, said the practical effect will be to allow holders of patents on genetically modified plants to charge fees for their use.

The environmentalits group Greenpeace has criticised the idea that patents on living things could become established practice.

The patents office ruled that introducing a new gene into the genetic heritage of a plant gives it new characteristics and therefore constitutes an invention. But it also ruled that varieties resulting from cross-breeding or selection cannot be patented.