The Important Place of Information in the Evolving Legal and Policy Framework for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the World's Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

(2018) 40(4) European Intellectual Property Review

Griffith University Law School Research Paper No. 18-13

42 Pages Posted: 18 Jun 2018 Last revised: 2 Jul 2018

See all articles by Charles Lawson

Charles Lawson

Griffith University - Griffith Law School

Heath Burton

Griffith University

Fran Humphries

Queensland University of Technology; Griffith University - Griffith Law School - Law Futures Centre

Date Written: May 29, 2018

Abstract

The efficient and effective conservation and sustainable use of the world’s plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) depends on reliable and accessible information about the resource. An evolving international regulatory framework to access and share the benefits of these PGRFA includes the information dimension. This article traces the likely future developments of the “Global Information System” (GLIS) under the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations’ International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture as a pointer to the decentralised network of databases and websites about PGRFA, incorporating Genesys, a global portal to information about PGRFA, the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN-Global), the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service National Plant Germplasm System as a document and management system, and DivSeek, the new tools and approaches for data exploration, mining and use. Some of the legal challenges, including intellectual property considerations, facing this GLIS are considered.

Keywords: [comma separated]Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture – International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture - Global Information System – intellectual property

JEL Classification: K32

Suggested Citation

Lawson, Charles and Burton, Heath and Humphries, Fran, The Important Place of Information in the Evolving Legal and Policy Framework for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the World's Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (May 29, 2018). (2018) 40(4) European Intellectual Property Review, Griffith University Law School Research Paper No. 18-13, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3187040

Charles Lawson

Griffith University - Griffith Law School ( email )

Gold Coast Campus, GU
Gold Coast 4222
Australia

Heath Burton

Griffith University ( email )

170 Kessels Road
Nathan, Queensland QLD 4111
Australia

Fran Humphries (Contact Author)

Queensland University of Technology ( email )

2 George Street
Brisbane, Queensland 4000
Australia

Griffith University - Griffith Law School - Law Futures Centre ( email )

Nathan Campus, GU
Nathan 4111
Australia

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