Plant Variety Protection Board; Open Teleconference Meeting
Federal Register, Volume 79 Issue 66 (Monday, April 7, 2014)
Federal Register Volume 79, Number 66 (Monday, April 7, 2014)
Notices
Pages 19046-19047
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office www.gpo.gov
FR Doc No: 2014-07703
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
Document No. AMS-ST-14-0034
Plant Variety Protection Board; Open Teleconference Meeting
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice is intended to notify the public of their opportunity to attend an open meeting of the Plant Variety Protection Board.
DATES: May 13, 2014 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., open to the public.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the United States Department of Agriculture, Room 2068, South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Maria Pratt, Plant Variety Protection Office, Science and Technology Programs, Agricultural Marketing Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250. Telephone number (202) 260-8983, fax (202) 260-8976, or email: maria.pratt@ams.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the provisions of section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C., Appendix 2), this notice is given regarding an upcoming Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Board meeting. The Plant Variety Protection Act (PVPA) (7 U.S.C. 2321 et seq.) provides legal protection in the form of intellectual property rights to developers of new varieties of plants, which are reproduced sexually by seed or are tuber-propagated. A Certificate of Plant Variety Protection is awarded to an owner of a crop variety after an examination shows that it is new, distinct from other varieties, genetically uniform and stable through successive generations. The term of protection is 20 years for most crops and 25 years for trees, shrubs, and vines. The PVPA also provides for a statutory Board (7 U.S.C. 2327). The duties of the Board are to: (1) Advise the Secretary concerning the adoption of rules and regulations to facilitate the proper administration of the Act; (2) provide advisory counsel to the Secretary on appeals concerning decisions on applications by the PVP Office and on requests for emergency public-interest compulsory licenses; and (3) advise the Secretary on any other matters under the Regulations and Rules of Practice and on all questions under Section 44 of the Act, ``Public Interest in Wide Usage'' (7 U.S.C. 2404).
The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss the electronic PVP (ePVP) system development, meetings with the European Union (EU) on mutual recognition of the PVP examination process, the activity of the subcommittee to evaluate molecular techniques for PVP distinctness characterization, and the PVP Office outreach efforts. The proposed agenda for the PVP Board meeting will include a welcome by Department officials followed by a discussion focusing on program activities that encourage the development of new plant varieties and appeals to the Secretary. The agenda will also include presentations on the ePVP system, summary of EU meetings, and the use of molecular markers for PVP applications, and PVP outreach activity.
The meeting will be open to the public. Those wishing to attend or phone into the meeting are encouraged to pre-register by May 5, 2014 with the
Page 19047
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. If you require accommodations, such as sign language interpreter, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Minutes of the meeting will be available for public review 30 days following the meeting at the address listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. The minutes will also be posted on the Internet Web site http://www.ams.usda.gov/PVPO.
Dated: April 2, 2014.
Rex A. Barnes,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
FR Doc. 2014-07703 Filed 4-4-14; 8:45 am
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P
