Patents on seeds: Appeal to German Federal Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht
European Patent Office ends moratorium on granting of patents
26 June 2020 / Unnoticed by the public, the President of the European Patent Office (EPO) António Campinos has lifted a moratorium imposed on patents covering plants and animals derived from conventional breeding. The examination of such patent applications was suspended in early 2019 because the EPO had taken contradictory decisions in regard to patents on seeds. The President's latest decision was taken before all the relevant key issues had been resolved. In particular, there is confusion as to how conventional breeding methods are defined. In patent law, these are referred to as 'essentially biological’ and are excluded from patentability.
