International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants

The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) is an organization that sets international rules to protect the rights of plant breeders who develop new plant varieties. Its goal is to encourage innovation by granting breeders exclusive rights to commercialize their varieties for a certain period, while ensuring that others can freely use these protected varieties once the rights expire. This system promotes the development of better, more diverse crops, benefiting agriculture, horticulture, and consumers worldwide. UPOV's standards help balance innovation incentives with access and benefit-sharing across member countries.