Utility Patents and Plant Patents: A Refresher Related to Value-Added Traits.

Utility patents confer intellectual property (IP) rights that may be granted to inventors of new and useful inventions in any field of technology, including plant related inventions. Plant patents are distinct from utility patents.  A plant patent may be granted specifically to anyone who invents or discovers and asexually reproduces a distinct and new variety of plant.  The different forms of IP are used in different situations, and for different types of plants.  A patent is granted for a limited period of time in exchange for a full public disclosure of the invention.