70 



8 



Under H.R. 2 927, the period of protection would be increased 

 from 18 to 20 years for most crops, and to 25 years for trees and 

 vines. All countries ratifying the 1991 Convention would grant 

 protection for these same periods. 



Finally, Mr. Chairman, the provisions of the amendments 

 would not take effect until six months after enactment. 

 Moreover, the provisions of H.R. 2 927 would apply only to 

 varieties protected after that six months. 



CONCLUSION 



Mr. Chairman, we believe that H.R. 2927, if enacted into 

 law, would enable the United States to ratify the 1991 Act of the 

 UPOV Convention, and thereby continue to play its leadership role 

 as a proponent of effective protection of intellectual property. 

 At the same time, these changes in the PVPA will greatly 

 encourage the development of new varieties of plants, to the 

 benefit of our farmers, the seed industry, and the American 

 consumer. 



We realize that there may be other ways to manage the 

 transition from the present statute. We also recognize the need 

 for improvements in the PVPA which are not related to achieving 

 consistency with the 1991 UPOV Convention. While the purpose of 

 my testimony today is to indicate our support for H.R. 2927, we 

 are open to other beneficial modifications to the PVPA, provided 

 those modifications are consistent with the 1991 Act of the UPOV 

 Convention. 



This concludes my statement. My associates and I will be 

 pleased to respond to any questions the Committee may have. 



