Intellectual property protection, plant breeding and seed markets: a comparative analysis of Brazil and Argentina

This article presents a comparative analysis of the intellectual property rights regimes pertaining to plant breeding activities in Brazil and Argentina, highlighting the main differences and similarities, as well as the impacts of these regimes on the respective national seed markets. Different policies adopted by public agricultural research organizations in the two countries (INTA in Argentina and Embrapa in Brazil) have had different impacts on the constitution of their seed markets: Argentina's market is now much more concentrated and dominated by multinational companies than Brazil's, which is more competitive and diversified.