And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 15:55:47 EST >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Fwd: [BIO-IPR] UPOV threatens Francophone Africa >X-Mailer: AOL 3.0 16-bit for Windows sub 41 > >I find this - beyond. . . >Martha >Return-Path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Received: from rly-za04.mx.aol.com (rly-za04.mail.aol.com [172.31.36.100]) by > air-za02.mail.aol.com (v56.26) with SMTP; Wed, 17 Feb 1999 14:06:28 > -0500 >Received: from oolaa.cue.com (oolaa.cue.com [207.104.7.100]) > by rly-za04.mx.aol.com (8.8.8/8.8.5/AOL-4.0.0) > with ESMTP id OAA08578; > Wed, 17 Feb 1999 14:06:21 -0500 (EST) >Received: (from lists@localhost) > by oolaa.cue.com (8.9.1/8.9.0) id LAA18036; > Wed, 17 Feb 1999 11:08:42 -0800 >Resent-Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 11:08:02 -0800 >Message-Id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >X-Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0 (32) >Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 01:34:22 +0800 >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >From: GRAIN Los Banos <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by oolaa.cue.com id > LAA17950 >Resent-Message-ID: <"SXC6uB.A.pYE.SOxy2"@oolaa> >Resent-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >X-Mailing-List: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> archive/latest/102 >X-Loop: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Precedence: list >Resent-Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: [BIO-IPR] UPOV threatens Francophone Africa >Mime-Version: 1.0 >Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > >-- > > >BIO-IPR docserver >________________________________________________________ > >TITLE: Legal "Terminator" Threatens Francophone Africa's Farmers >AUTHOR: Rural Advancement Foundation International >PUBLICATION: RAFI News Release >DATE: 17 February 1999 >URL: http://www.rafi.org/pr/release27.html >________________________________________________________ > > >Rural Advancement Foundation International > >News Release - 17 February 1999 > >LEGAL "TERMINATOR" THREATENS >FRANCOPHONE AFRICA'S FARMERS > >RIGHT TO SAVE SEED IN POOR COUNTRIES MAY BE ELIMINATED >AS 15 AFRICAN STATES ARE PRESSURED TO ACCEPT UPOV '91 > > >Fifteen Francophone African states, among them some of the poorest countries >in the world, are under pressure to sign away the right of more than 20 >million small-holder farmers to save and exchange crop seed. The decision to >abandon Africa’s 12,000-year tradition of seed saving will be finalized at a >meeting February 22-25 in the Central African Republic. The 15 governments >have been told to adopt draconian intellectual property legislation for >plant varieties in order to conform to a provision in the World Trade >Organization (WTO) that obliges signatories to "protect" plant varieties. >The legislation (a kind of legal "Terminator" because it prohibits farmers >from replanting "protected" seed) is also known, euphemistically, as "Plant >Breeders’ Rights". If adopted, the legislation will throw some of Africa’s >poorest countries into an intellectual property cartel dominated by a >handful of OECD states led by the USA, the UK, and Japan. > >During meetings in East Africa a few days ago, RAFI’s Pat Mooney and Hope >Shand learned that OAPI (l’Organisation Africaine de la Propriete >Intellectuelle/African Intellectual Property Organization) has agreed to >adopt "UPOV 91" — the world’s most restrictive form of Plant Breeders’ >Rights. The Convention is managed by the Union for the Protection of New >Varieties of Plants (UPOV) — a subsidiary treaty of the Geneva-based World >Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). > >"Francophone African countries are being bullied into adopting UPOV’91", >says Pat Mooney, "even though the WTO is about to conduct a review of its >plant variety ‘protection’ clause." Adds Hope Shand, "The review is not >expected to be completed before 2001. Many analysts predict that a whole new >trade negotiating round may be launched before the review is completed." >"African patent offices are being asked to climb on a wagon other countries >in other regions may never accept," agrees Pat Mooney, "Conceivably, a new >trade round could render compliance unnecessary. Since six of the 15 OAPI >states are "least developed countries" (according to UNDP definitions), >regardless of the review or a new negotiating round, they have until at >least 2006 before they have to introduce any kind of legislation. " "In a >worst case scenario," Hope Shand concludes, "OAPI members would still have >the option to accept legislation that would allow farmers to save, re-use, >and even sell purchased seed. Where is the pressure coming from and why are >sovereign countries selling off the historic rights of their farmers?" > >Urgent Action: >RAFI is writing to each of the 15 OAPI countries, contacting both Ministers >of Agriculture and Ministers responsible for patent offices. "Depending on >the country," Pat Mooney notes, "between one-fifth and one-half of all the >farmers are small-holders who depend heavily on their ability to save seed >in order to keep production reliable and costs low. There are at least 20 >million such farmers in OAPI states," Mooney says, "Next week’s decision >could be a major blow to the region’s food security. We suspect that most >Agriculture Ministers don’t even know what their patent offices are >proposing to do." > >What is OAPI? >The precursor to OAPI was established on September 13, 1962, by 12 >francophone African heads of state. It was called the "Office Africain et >Malgache de la Propriete Industrielle (OAMPI). The agreement establishing >OAMPI was revised in Bangui, Central African Republic on March 27, 1977, and >gave birth to OAPI, the "Organisation Africaine de la Propriete >Intellectuelle". It has 15 members: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central >African Republic, Chad, Congo, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Niger, >Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Togo. Of these, the following are considered >least developed countries by UNDP: Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, >Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, and Togo. > >What is UPOV 91? >The original international Plant Breeders’ Rights convention was adopted in >Paris in 1961. Since then, the Convention has been amended several times and >two forms of PBR are now in common use. Most UPOV members, in fact, adhere >to its 1978 convention, which is widely interpreted by governments to allow >farmers to save and exchange seed. UPOV’s 1991 convention, however, assumes >that farmers cannot save seed unless governments permit specific exceptions. >Around the world, 1.4 billion people depend on the ability of small-holder >farmers to save seed for their family food security. To date, the only UPOV >members to confirm the 1991 convention are Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, >Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Moldova, Russia, Sweden, UK, and USA. If OAPI >bows to WTO and UPOV pressure during the meeting February 22-25, the 15 >francophone African States will more than double the Convention’s roster of >members. > > >RAFI - International Office >110 Osborne St., Suite 202 >Winnipeg MB R3L 1Y5 CANADA >Tel: (1-204) 453 52 59 >Fax: (1-204) 925 80 34 >Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Web: http://www.rafi.org > >_________________________________________________________ >ABOUT THIS LISTSERVER -- BIO-IPR is an irregular listserver put out by >Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN). Its purpose is to circulate >information about recent developments in the field of intellectual property >rights related to biodiversity & associated knowledge. BIO-IPR is a strictly >non-commercial and educational service for nonprofit organisations and >individuals active in the struggle against IPRs on life. The views expressed >in each post are those of the indicated author(s). >HOW TO PARTICIPATE -- To get on the mailing list, send the word "subscribe" >(no quotes) as the subject of an email message to ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. To get off the list, send the word >"unsubscribe" instead. To submit material to the list, address your message >to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. A note with further details about BIO-IPR is sent >to all subscribers. >ABOUT GRAIN -- For general information about GRAIN, you may visit our >website http://www.grain.org or send an email to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. > &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
