Top court highlights 10 seed IP cases to strengthen protection

China's top court unveiled details of 10 cases related to intellectual property protection in the seed industry on Thursday, underscoring a strong judicial commitment to combating infringements and fostering innovation within the sector.

The cases cover a wide range of plant species, including staple crops such as rice, wheat, corn and soybeans, as well as fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, apples and pomegranates.

In presenting the cases, the Supreme People's Court emphasized the critical need to bolster IP protection related to seeds, calling on judges to deter violations by imposing harsher penalties on offenders.

Among the 10 cases highlighted, punitive damages were applied in four instances. One notable case involved corn variety infringement, in which the court imposed double punitive damages due to the large number of infringing varieties, the extended duration of the infringement and the extensive area affected. The court awarded economic damages exceeding 53.34 million yuan ($7.7 million), marking a new high for compensation in plant variety rights infringement cases in China.

Furthermore, the top court required courts nationwide to strictly enforce laws and regulations such as the Seed Law and the Regulations on the Protection of New Plant Varieties, urging them to develop innovative measures, consistently refine adjudication rules and improve the IP protection framework when encountering new challenges and issues in the seed industry.