LICENSING AGRICULTURAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: HOW SHOULD PUBLIC R&D INSTITUTIONS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES RESPOND?

In the 21st century, licensing is the most common vehicle by which Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), especially for agricultural biotechnology, are transferred from inventors to users. In this paper, we argue that due to the strong association between IPR and agricultural biotechnology, technology transfer (e.g., licensing), needs to be conducted differently for agricultural biotechnology products. We examine two important licensing mechanisms: the patent license and material transfer agreements, and their unique features, and issues associated with their use. And yet, it's important to note that these legal instruments for agricultural biotechnology are contextual, case-specific, and may even be country-specific. We hope that this paper can serve as a starting point for discussion, and/or a guide for public research institutions in developing countries to more effectively use these technology transfer tools. We also present a few case examples that highlight the experiences of other national research institutions in handling these legal mechanisms. Learning from these experiences may help other institutions maximize benefits while minimizing cost and risk under the new context of technology transfer for agricultural innovations.