Fair Seeds for Farmers Act

New plant patent rules for farmers

If enacted, the bill would limit federal intellectual property protection for plants so protection could only be granted under the Plant Variety Protection Act or the Plant Patent Act. It would bar enforcing contracts made on or after enactment that restrict research, breeding, seed saving, or propagation of plants and germplasm. The rule would apply to patent applications pending on or filed on or after the date of enactment and to contracts entered into on or after enactment, but it would not affect the validity of patents already issued from older applications. The bill would also define "germplasm" (for example, seeds, pollen, tubers, rootstock) and a statutory definition of "plant variety" to clarify which materials are covered.