Information is power: ruling C-239/18 and the informative obligation of official bodies vis-à-vis plant variety right holders within the framework of the agricultural exemption

• Published in: Journal of intellectual property law & practice Vol. 15; no. 2; pp. 88 - 90
• Main Author: López, Ángela Martínez
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 01-02-2020
• ISSN: 1747-1532; 1747-1540
• DOI: 10.1093/jiplp/jpz174

Abstract
Case C-239/18, Saatgut-Treuhandverwaltungs GmbH v Freistaat Thüringen, Court of Justice of the European Union, judgment of 17 October 2019, EC?>LI?>:?>E?>U?>:?>C?>:?>2019:869
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), in case C-239/18 Saatgut-Treuhandverwaltungs GmbH v Freistaat Thüringen (henceforth, ‘Freistaat Thüringen’), shed light on the scope of the information that official bodies must facilitate further to the request of a plant variety right holder within the framework of the so-called ‘agricultural exemption’ (commonly referred to as ‘farm-saved-seed’ privilege). For holders, knowledge of the users (and concrete use by such) of the agricultural exemption is of paramount importance in guaranteeing a tangible base upon which to enforce their right to remuneration from these users.