Agricultural Marketing Service
 
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PVPO Frequently Asked Questions  
1. Who may apply for plant variety protection?

 
2. How do we go about filing an Assignment of Certificates?

 
3. What if I've already sold seed of my variety but would still like to have it protected?

 
4. Can you please provide the process by which to obtain copies of PVP applications or certificates?

 
5. What method of payment is available for PVPO fees?

 
6. Do I need to send a seed sample?

 
7. What do you do with the seed samples and where are they kept?

 
8. Can others get samples of my seed sample?

 
9. Does the research exemption indicate that I can get seeds of PVP protected varieties?

 
10. Is there any penalty for claiming a variety is plant-variety protected when it is not?

 
11. If a company applies for PVP and the application is turned down because it cannot be distinguished from other varieties, and if the other variety is protected, can the company still sell seed of that turned down variety, or would that be considered a violation of the protected variety's protection?

 
12. What actions are people prohibited from taking with a protected variety?

 
13. Does this mean that the home gardener or farmer cannot propagate the seed of a protected variety and save it for future planting?

 
14. How is protection of the variety enforced?

 
15. What exemptions are there to the protection provided?
 
Additional Information
 
  PVPO Staff Directory  
 
  Examiner Crop List (pdf)  
 
  Email PVPO  
 
  PVPO Homepage  
 
 
  Last Modified Date: 08/08/2006