Genetically Modified Seeds, Intellectual Property Protection and the Role of Law in Transnational Perspective

This paper tries to provide a fresh insight on a highly disputed, although very
sectorial topic, represented by intellectual property protection on genetically
modified seed and, in general, on agricultural biotechnology products. Both
because of the wide employ of seeds and plant varieties in agriculture and for the
international relevance of intellectual property protection, domestic perspectives
on this very topic soon become obsolete, partial and useless. Intellectual property
protection on agricultural biotechnology products is a charged topic for a
number of reasons. First of all, seeds are the starting point of very complex value
chains in all economies. That does not relate exclusively to food. Indeed, plants
have now a role in a wide number of very diverse industries such as biofuels or
textiles or construction materials. Most of all, seeds are indispensable for the
production of vegetables, for a large part of the worldwide population the
primary, if not exclusive, ingredient of the daily diet.