Biopatent monitoring

Biopatent monitoring

Biopatent monitoring involves the investigation and analysis of patents relating to plants and livestock that are relevant to agriculture. The Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) and the Federal Plant Variety Office are responsible for patent research on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).

In February 2012, the German Bundestag made requests to the German government, including the establishment of “a national biopatent monitoring system in order to identify developments at any early stage and compile a report every two years concerning the effects of patent law in the field of biotechnology in respect of, for example, sufficient technicity and effects in plant and animal breeding”. The background to this was the cross-party agreement regarding “no patents for conventionally bred agricultural animals and plants”.

The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV), responsible for patent law, has overall responsibility for this report.

The fifth governmental biopatent report for the reporting period 2020/2021 was published as Bundestag Document No. 20/3845.

The biopatent report can be accessed here.