Chinese courts strengthen IP rights protection for seed industry

Chinese courts are continuously strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights related to the seed industry, aiming to promote innovation and high-quality development in this field with high-level judicial efforts.

The Supreme People's Court, China's top court, disclosed 15 concluded IP cases involving seeds on Thursday, which demonstrates the country's determination to ensure seed security through judicial means and resolve relevant disputes through multiple channels.

The disclosed cases not only cover major agricultural crops such as rice, wheat, corn and soybeans but also involve fruit and flower varieties such as apples, pineapples, roses and chrysanthemums.

In one case that was disclosed, four people were given prison terms and fines by a court in Anhui province for infringing on the trade secrets of a rice variety. The ruling has shown the severe punishment of seed-related crimes, according to the top court.

By leveraging the deterrent of criminal punishment, the ruling has also helped strengthen the protection of breeding innovation, purify the seed industry and create a favorable environment for enterprises in the field, the top court said. It also called for courts nationwide to further protect IP rights related to seeds, and strive to provide higher-quality and more efficient judicial services for innovative development of the industry.