Consultants | Dr Paul Brennan

Plant Intellectual Property Management

• Dr Paul Brennan has considerable experience in developing and implementing policy for the management of plant intellectual property. This has been gained through:
• development of variety commercialisation options for wheat, kiwifruit, apple and mangoes,
• long term and continuing participation on the Plant Breeders Rights Advisory Committee which advises the Australian Government on plant breeders rights policy,
• membership of the Advisory Council on Intellectual Property (ACIP) which advises the Australian Government on intellectual property policy and
• chairperson of the Australian Government inquiry into enforcement of plant breeders rights in Australia.

• Intellectual property management is now of prime importance for any plant improvement program. The issues include:
• policy development to facilitate sufficient returns to encourage investment (both private and public) in plant breeding,
• protecting the IP developed in the program (plant breeder’s/variety rights and patents),
• licensing owned IP,
• freedom to operate with third party IP and
• detailed knowledge of the third party IP incumbency of a research portfolio