EDMONTON, Alberta – Aurora Cannabis Inc. has been granted Plant Breeders’ Rights in Canada for two proprietary cannabis cultivars. The certification gives Aurora the exclusive rights to grow, propagate, and sell finished products produced from these varieties.
The two protected cultivars, SOT20R07-007 (known as Farm Gas™) and SOT20R07-005 (known as Driftwood Diesel™), were developed at Aurora Coast, the company’s research and development facility in Comox, British Columbia. Farm Gas™ and Driftwood Diesel™ are core medical cannabis products available to patients in Germany, Poland, the UK, Canada, and Australia.
Understanding Plant Breeders’ Rights in Canada
Plant Breeders’ Rights are a form of intellectual property protection, similar to patents, that apply specifically to new and distinct plant varieties.
In Canada, plant breeders’ rights are granted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and give breeders exclusive rights to produce and sell a protected plant variety.
This framework recognizes the significant scientific investment required to develop cultivars that are clearly different and produce the same results over time.
The protection of these varieties adds to the recent grants received for select variety protection in Europe.
