ASIPI seminar in Asunción: Intellectual property in agriculture
The Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI) provides a run-down of the seminar on intellectual property in agriculture held in Asunción, Paraguay from March 15 to 17.
During two days of intense work in the Paraguayan capital, ASIPI gathered specialists in the agricultural field.
The seminar, declared of national interest by the Paraguayan Senate (Resolution No. 56, dated March 12, 2015), began on March 15 at with the opening ceremony, which brought together knowledge and networking.
Juan Vanrell, president of ASIPI, emphasised in his opening words why the topic of agriculture was chosen for the seminar. He stressed the importance of agriculture in Paraguay, both for the country’s economy and for the livelihood of its people.
After the ceremony, a cocktail reception was held at the Gran Salon of the Sheraton Asuncion Hotel, where the rest of the meeting took place.
The next morning, panels began entertaining the audience with a variety of topics and workshops laid on for participants.
The first panel, ‘IP strategies in agricultural companies’, discussed the importance of IP protection for agricultural and agrichemical companies whose technological development and innovation have been engines of development in recent years.
"On the afternoon of the first day a mediation workshop was held where expert panellists spoke about mediation as a necessary skill in today’s world of conflict resolution."
‘The system of legal protection of plant varieties and biotechnological inventions applied to plants’ was the second topic discussed and raised the need for the legal system for protection of plant varieties to have a different scope from that of patent law.
On the afternoon of the first day a mediation workshop was held where expert panellists spoke about mediation as a necessary skill in today’s world of conflict resolution.
During the session the panellists discussed the basics of mediation, including its benefits, the process and how it differs from litigation and arbitration.
After a long day of sharing knowledge and networking, the evening activities took place at the exclusive event centre Las Hortensias, hosted by local law firms.
Tuesday began with a session called ‘Agricultural trademarks: protection and defence strategies’. The discussion focused on regional jurisprudence conflicts between different kinds of agrichemicals and the experience of protecting them.
‘The defence of the competition in the agri-food sector’ was the topic of the second panel. It dealt with the leeway to make the food industry more competitive.
The morning of the second day ended with a presentation on the importance of test data in the agrichemical industry.
In the afternoon, a discussion called ‘Designations of origin and geographical indications: The case of ka’a he’ê (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni)’ expanded on the analysis of the findings of scientist Moises Bertoni. Bertoni identified the ‘sweet herb’ in 1887, which would later be called ka’a he’ê and revolutionised the development of the sugar and sweeteners sector.
The academic sessions culminated in the evening with a workshop on drafting claims of chemical-agricultural patents. Panellists raised criteria for correct technical wording of the claims of a patent application for a chemical-agricultural product.
The meeting blended an important academic contribution with social activity, culminating with a closing dinner at the Bourbon Conmebol Convention Hotel in Asunción. The association continues to organise events and we will meet again in December in the Colombian city of Cartagena de Indias.
