Plant Breeders' Rights Office

Plant Breeders' Rights (PBR) are a form of intellectual property rights by which plant breeders can protect their new varieties in the same way an inventor protects a new invention with a patent.

The Plant Breeders' Rights Office administers the Plant Breeders' Rights Act (1990) and Regulations which provide legal protection to plant breeders for new plant varieties for up to 18 years.

The key acts and regulations we enforce are:

• Plant Breeders' Rights Act
  • Plant Breeders' Rights Regulations

Information we provide for the plant industry includes:

• Applying for Plant Breeders' Rights - A Three Part Process
  • Cost of Protection
  • Variety Naming Guidelines
• Frequently Asked Questions: The Impact of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) Conventions on Plant Breeders' Rights in Canada
• Guide to Plant Breeders' Rights - a general overview of the PBR system
• Plant Varieties Journal
• Status of Plant Breeders' Rights Applications and Grant of Rights
• Related information
  • Plant Biosafety
  • Variety Registration
  • UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants) - Member countries

For further information please contact the Plant Breeders' Rights Office.