Intellectual Asset Management to make available virus resistant papaya to small-scale farmers in Peru. A Case Study
Ver documento Intellectual Property (IP) management is essential for agricultural R&D activities resulting in products that are intended to become available to farmers. In fact, most of the technologies and materials used to develop these are protected by Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). Unfortunately, most national research centers and researchers are not fully aware of the legal restrictions associated with these technologies and materials and are not conscious of the future conflicts and possible prohibition to release their products. This is the case of the Peruvian’s National Agricultural Innovation Institute (INIA) and their relatively recent R&D activities in biotechnology. The main purpose of the following case study was to analyze how IP is related to one project of INIA in order to make researchers aware that IP is present in their daily activities which eventually will force them to take IP in consideration more systematically in the future. An additional purpose was to trigger, in the near future, a sequence of actions to develop an internal suitable IP Policy for INIA. The project “Estudios de modificación genética de la papaya para producir plantas resistentes al virus de la mancha anillada”1 was chosen for the case study as biotechnology is highly concerned with IP. The objective of the said project is to produce in Peru a genetically modified (GM) papaya with resistance to the papaya ring spot virus (PRSV) disease to be distributed among small-scale farmers for local consumption and eventually for export markets. Our work started by identifying all the technologies and materials used in this project. We looked at restrictions arising from contracts and IPRs. While some materials were transferred under very clear agreements that established restriction on uses, others were transferred without any agreements. Regarding IPRs, few patents apparently related to the project technology were found in Peru and other countries. However, after close examination, their scope of protection did not cover any of the project technology in Peru. Where the use of gene sequences to make plants resistant to the ring-spot virus in the US (and some other countries) was identified as a potential a potential infringement for the patent holder, the same use in Peru may not be considered as such. Hence, it appeared clearly that in order to be able to distribute the future product (a GM papaya with resistance to PRSV disease), INIA has to deal only with contractual restrictions. Once contractual issues are solved, INIA will be able to deliver the GM papaya to small-scale farmers in Peru without any legal conflict. However, exporting it to countries where current patents exist may represent a risk and a chance of a plaintiff against the exporter. These results (our IP and contractual assessment of the INIA project) confirmed that an institutional IP Policy need to be developed. Knowing and understanding IP is vital for the institution and its researchers (even from the very early stages of R&D processes). This IP Policy should be a tool for guiding negotiation of contracts, licenses or agreements with third parties (through an IP/Technology Transfer Office) and capacity building to make this possible. It will also allow INIA to decide whether the institution could protect their new technologies and products.