Guest post: ASIPI debates IP in agriculture

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Guest post: ASIPI debates IP in agriculture

During two days of work in the Paraguayan capital, the Inter American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI) gathered experts in the field. By Natalia Nogues

ASIPI stage

The seminar, declared of national interest by the Paraguayan Senate (Resolution 56 of March 12 2015), began on March 17 at sunset with the Opening Ceremony of this new meeting which brought together knowledge and networking.

Juan Vanrell, president of ASIPI, emphasised in his opening words the reasons why the topic of agriculture was chosen for this seminar. He stressed the importance of agriculture in Paraguay, both in its economy and the livelihood of its people.

After the ceremony, a cocktail was held at the Gran Salon of the Sheraton Asunción Hotel, where the seminar took place.


Panel discussions

From Monday morning, panels began offering the audience varied themes and workshops for participants.

The first panel, Intellectual Property Strategies in Agricultural Companies, raised the importance of IP protection for agricultural and agro-chemical companies whose technological development and innovation are engines of development in recent years.

The system of legal protection of plant varieties and biotechnological inventions applied to plants was the second topic in the debate and raised the issue of the need for the legal system of intellectual protection of plant varieties to have a different scope than the patent law.

On the afternoon of the first day a mediation workshop took place where panellists spoke about mediation as a necessary skill in today’s world of conflict resolution. During four hours they put within reach of lawyers and clients the basics of mediation, including its benefits, the process and how it differs from litigation and arbitration.

ASIPI audience

And after a long day of sharing knowledge and networking, the evening activity took place at the exclusive event centre Las Hortensias, hosted by local law firms.

Tuesday began with a panel on Agricultural trade marks: protection and defence strategies, where the discussion of regional jurisprudence conflicts between different kinds of agrochemicals and experience of protecting them was presented.

The defence of competition in the agri-food sector was the topic of the second panel. It dealt with the leeway to make the food industry more competitive.

The morning of the second day ended with a presentation on The importance of test data in the agrochemical industry. There the analysis of triple-agrochemicals concatenation between agriculture and protection of test data was highlighted.

Designations of origin and geographical indications: The case Ka'a He'e (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) expanded on the analysis of the findings of scientist Moises Bertoni in 1887 when he identified the "sweet herb" that would later be called KA'A He'e (stevia rebaudiana Bertoni), which revolutionised the development of the sugar and sweeteners sector.

The academic sessions culminated in the evening with a workshop on drafting claims for chemical-agricultural patents. Panellists raised the criteria for correct technical wording of the claims of a patent application of a chemical-agricultural product.

The seminar provided both an academic contribution and social activity, culminating with a closing dinner at the luxurious Bourbon Conmebol Convention Hotel of Asuncion.

The enjoyment and exchange between partners was highlighted once again as in all ASIPI events.

The Association continues working to organise the event that will gather us again in December, in the beautiful Colombian city of Cartagena de Indias.

Only 30% of our content is published on our blog – to access all of our content you need to be a subscriber. We like to offer our loyal blog readers a special rate, so register your interest in coming on board as a subscriber and we will be in touch shortly

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

The UK-India trade deal doesn’t mention legal services, showing India has again failed to agree on a move that could help foreign firms and local practitioners
Eva-Maria Strobel reveals some of the firm’s IP achievements and its approach to client relationships
Lateral hires at Thompson Hine and Pierson Ferdinand said they were inspired by fresh business opportunities and innovative strategies at their new firms
The launch of a new IP insurance product and INTA hiring a former USPTO commissioner were also among the top talking points this week
The firm explains how it secured a $170.6 million verdict against the government in a patent dispute surrounding airport technology, and why the case led to interest from other inventors
Developments of note included the court partially allowing a claim concerning confidentiality clubs and a decision involving technology used in football matches
The firm said adding capability in the French capital completes its coverage of all major patent litigation jurisdictions as it strives for UPC excellence
Marc Fenster explains how keeping the jury focused on the most relevant facts helped secure a $279m win for his client against Samsung
Clients are divided on what externally funded IP firms bring to the table, so those firms must prove why the benefits outweigh the downsides
Rahul Bhartiya, AI coordinator at the EUIPO, discusses the office’s strategy, collaboration with other IP offices, and getting rid of routine tasks
Gift this article