About
The Breeders’ Alliance Co Ltd was established by four leading table grape breeding companies: Sun World International, International Fruit Genetics, Grapa Varieties Ltd., and SNFL Group. Together, these four companies account for approximately 80% of new table grape variety plantings around the world.
The Breeders’ Alliance aims to protect the legitimate rights of its members, as well as to safeguard the interests of their licensees and distributors around the world against unauthorized propagation and production of proprietary varieties.
The table grape industry worldwide has changed significantly over the past ten years. ‘Open’ varieties, such as Crimson Seedless and Thompson Seedless, along with several others, are rapidly being replaced with new, high performance varieties. These new varieties are highly sought after as they combine many desirable characteristics attractive to growers such as improved productivity and lower labour requirements, alongside consumer benefits such as better flavour, crisp texture, together with good size and appealing colour.
Worldwide growers, who are licensed to produce these new varieties, typically pay a royalty fee for the Intellectual Property Rights enshrined in these new varieties, and these rights are protected around the world, either through Plant Breeders’ Rights legislation, or through the Patent system in certain countries. Very often, the new variety trade names are also registered as Trademarks.
The Breeders’ Alliance Co Ltd was established by four leading table grape breeding companies: Sun World International, International Fruit Genetics, Grapa Varieties Ltd., and SNFL Group. Together, these four companies account for approximately 80% of new table grape variety plantings around the world.
The Breeders’ Alliance aims to protect the legitimate rights of its members, as well as to safeguard the interests of their licensees and distributors around the world against unauthorized propagation and production of proprietary varieties.
The table grape industry worldwide has changed significantly over the past ten years. ‘Open’ varieties, such as Crimson Seedless and Thompson Seedless, along with several others, are rapidly being replaced with new, high performance varieties. These new varieties are highly sought after as they combine many desirable characteristics attractive to growers such as improved productivity and lower labour requirements, alongside consumer benefits such as better flavour, crisp texture, together with good size and appealing colour.
Worldwide growers, who are licensed to produce these new varieties, typically pay a royalty fee for the Intellectual Property Rights enshrined in these new varieties, and these rights are protected around the world, either through Plant Breeders’ Rights legislation, or through the Patent system in certain countries. Very often, the new variety trade names are also registered as Trademarks.
The income from royalties is essential for the breeders to continue funding the breeding and development of new varieties to produce fruit demanded by the market now and in the future. The breeding process is lengthy, often taking over 15 years to develop a successful new variety.
Due to the superior performance of these new varieties in comparison to older traditional varieties, some growers and nurseries around the world have been tempted to illegally acquire propagation material. These unauthorized growers and nurseries not only deprive breeders of their Intellectual Property Rights and their source of income, they also gain an unfair competitive advantage over the bona fide licensees. Moreover, the infringers compromise the ability for breeders to continue investing in long-term, high-capital breeding programs that result in innovative new varieties.
The Breeders’ Alliance acts as a forum which seeks to increase awareness of such violations across all segments of the fruit industry. In our efforts to ensure effective control on the legal origin of fruits harvested from proprietary varieties, we engage in market surveillance across main markets worldwide. A centralized DNA database will then allow for identity-check of suspicious fruit to establish the true identity of variety. Where infringements are identified, the individual breeders will take action to protect their rights and to cease the unauthorized use.
The collaboration between the members of The Breeders’ Alliance is strictly limited to the surveillance of their Intellectual Property Rights and its related activities. Members are solely responsible for their own licensing and enforcement activities.
The income from royalties is essential for the breeders to continue funding the breeding and development of new varieties to produce fruit demanded by the market now and in the future. The breeding process is lengthy, often taking over 15 years to develop a successful new variety.
Due to the superior performance of these new varieties in comparison to older traditional varieties, some growers and nurseries around the world have been tempted to illegally acquire propagation material. These unauthorized growers and nurseries not only deprive breeders of their Intellectual Property Rights and their source of income, they also gain an unfair competitive advantage over the bona fide licensees. Moreover, the infringers compromise the ability for breeders to continue investing in long-term, high-capital breeding programs that result in innovative new varieties.
The Breeders’ Alliance acts as a forum which seeks to increase awareness of such violations across all segments of the fruit industry. In our efforts to ensure effective control on the legal origin of fruits harvested from proprietary varieties, we engage in market surveillance across main markets worldwide. A centralized DNA database will then allow for identity-check of suspicious fruit to establish the true identity of variety. Where infringements are identified, the individual breeders will take action to protect their rights and to cease the unauthorized use.
The collaboration between the members of The Breeders’ Alliance is strictly limited to the surveillance of their Intellectual Property Rights and its related activities. Members are solely responsible for their own licensing and enforcement activities.