Goyang Special City to Dispose of Patent Rights
for New Rose Varieties Developed Locally
Expected to Reduce Royalty Burden on Domestic Rose Farmers
Goyang Special City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Dong-hwan) announced that by disposing of the patent rights (plant variety protection rights) for new rose varieties developed by the Agricultural Technology Center to domestic seedling companies, these varieties can be distributed to local farmers, which is expected to reduce the royalty burden that domestic rose farmers pay overseas.
According to Goyang Special City on the 4th, the city posted a public notice on March 12th regarding the disposal of non-exclusive licenses for 12 varieties, including Ocean Buzz and Hestia, which were invented by the Goyang Agricultural Technology Center. Accordingly, any registered seedling company can apply for a patent rights contract for these varieties.
Domestic farmers currently pay about 6,000 KRW per seedling, including royalties, when importing foreign rose varieties, but Goyang-developed roses can be purchased at half the price. As the cost of purchasing seeds decreases, farmers’ income is expected to increase.
Goyang Special City has developed 34 rose varieties to date to promote the local floriculture industry and increase farmers’ income, and this is the first time it has disposed of plant variety protection rights. Starting this year, the city plans to actively develop domestic varieties and increase the number of rose varieties available for disposal.
Kwon Ji-seon, Director of the Agricultural Technology Center, said, “We plan to accept applications from interested companies and proceed with contracts for the disposal of patent rights for these 12 varieties,” adding, “We hope that companies interested in these varieties will acquire non-exclusive licenses and distribute them to farmers, thereby reducing the royalty burden on farmers.”
For information on how to apply for the disposal of non-exclusive licenses (patent rights) and the characteristics of the varieties available for disposal, please contact the Floriculture Research Team, Research and Development Division, Goyang Agricultural Technology Center.
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