Egypt ratified its accession to the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, which is known by the acronym UPOV. Egypt became a member of UPOV in December 2019.

The filing requirements of a plant variety application in Egypt are as follows:

  • Denomination of the variety
  • Full disclosure of the origin of the variety and the method of breeding
  • A detailed description of the consecutive stages of the choice and propagation processes which were used to breed the variety
  • Proof of the novelty of the variety, in the sense that the variety has not been sold or otherwise disposed of for purposes of exploitation. A variety shall not lose its novelty if it was exposed or circulated in Egypt for more than one year prior to the effective filing date of the application. Where a variety has been exposed or circulated outside Egypt, such period shall not exceed six years in case of trees and vines or four years for other crops
  • Proof of the uniformity of the variety in the sense that any variations are describable, predictable, and commercially acceptable
  • Proof of the stability of the variety in the sense that the variety, when reproduced, will remain unchanged with regard to its essential and distinctive characteristics within a reasonable degree of commercial reliability
  • Proof of the distinctiveness of the variety, in the sense that the variety is clearly distinguishable from any other publicly known variety
  • Illustrations of the variety, if they are necessary to identify it, along with a brief description

 The protection term is 25 years from date of grant for trees and grapevines, and 20 years for other agricultural products. As for annuities, a maintenance fee is due annually and should be paid within a period not exceeding three months from the date of the grant of the certificate.

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