China: Supreme People's Court Strengthens Seed Variety Protections
On March 2, 2022, the Supreme People's Court of China issued "Guiding Opinions on Further Strengthening the Criminal Trial Work Involving Seeds" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"). The Opinions clarify the general requirements for strengthening seed-related criminal trials, the application of law to seed-related crimes, and improvement of relevant enforcement mechanisms. This Opinion is latest in a trend of messaging and polices by the PRC to strengthen variety protection and encourage a market environment for the seed industry with intellectual property protections.