UQ researchers will draw on a recent trend of patenting new plant and animal varieties to see if it will enhance or hinder the Australia’s agricultural industry.
The team of researchers headed by Professor Brad Sherman from the Australian Centre for Intellectual Property in Agriculture (ACIPA) within the TC Beirne School of Law, have been awarded an Australian Research Council Discovery Project grant to study the effect of patents on the agricultural industry.
"In the past 10 years there has been a shift towards patenting new plants, microorganisms and animals," Professor Sherman said.
"This trend has the potential to transform existing research, development arrangements and industry practices in Australia.
"By looking at the effects this trend has had on the agricultural industry, the project will provide a critical analysis of the ongoing relevance of intellectual property in this important field."
The development of new plant varieties is crucial to the ongoing competitiveness and sustainability of Australian agriculture. It also has wider social, cultural and economic consequences.
The project will provide policy makers and stakeholders with recommendations on how to respond to and manage these changes. It will ultimately assist with promoting plant breeding in Australia and also enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of Australian agriculture.
ACIPA aims to produce high quality research focusing on intellectual property in agriculture, and to highlight the unique and distinctive intellectual property issues that arise in the agriculture sector.
Media: For further information contact:
• Ms Carol Ballard (telephone 07 3346 7506 or c.ballard@law.uq.edu.au) or visit http://www.acipa.edu.au/index.html; or
• Ms Teola Marsh, Acting Marketing Manager, TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland t.marsh@law.uq.edu.au, phone 07 3365 2523.
