03/09/2020 – Webinar 1: DUS Testing under UPOV. Plant Characteristics in DUS Examinations

Chris has been with the Plant Variety Rights Office of the IP Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) since 1991 and is currently group manager and NZ representative for several UPOV bodies. He has extensive expertise in Plant Variety Protection, DUS testing, plant taxonomy and variety denominations. At UPOV, Chris is a past chairman of the UPOV Technical Working Party for Fruit Crops, the UPOV Technical Working Party for Ornamentals and Forest Trees and the UPOV Technical Committee (2008 – 2010) and is currently the nominated chair again for UPOV Technical Working Party for Fruit Crops. Other IPONZ and UPOV activity include advisor to East Asian PVP technical programs and training initiatives. In addition to his positions at IPONZ and UPOV activity, Chris acted as Editor for the International Plant Propagators’ Society, New Zealand Region. Chris is a member of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture and the International Plant Propagators’ Society. He holds a Master Degree in Horticultural Science with Honours (1990).

Cornelis (Kees) van Ettekoven has been active in horticulture and Plant Variety Protection for over 45 years. Kees worked in various positions at Naktuinbouw, the Netherlands Inspection Service for Horticulture, consecutively serving as a Head of IT Department, the Registration and Documentation Department, and the Variety Testing Department, overseeing the Dutch DUS testing of all species for Plant Breeders’ Rights and National Listing. Today, Kees serves as a Senior PVP Policy Advisor, is a member of the Plant Breeders’ Rights chamber of the Court of Justice in the Hague, and coordinates the IPKey program for China, Latin America and South-East Asia at the CPVO. At UPOV, he is a past Chairman of the UPOV Technical Committee, the UPOV Technical Working Group Vegetables, and the UPOV Working Group on Biochemical and Molecular Techniques and DNA-Profiling in Particular (BMT).

Leontino Taveira is Head of Technical Affairs and Regional Development at UPOV. He works with policymakers in Latin America and the Caribbean promoting accession to UPOV and assisting the implementation of the UPOV system. With a background in agriculture and plant breeding, he is in charge of organizing the technical work of UPOV, including the development of Test Guidelines and guidance for examination of distinctness, uniformity and stability. Leontino started his career in the private sector as agronomist and nursery manager for ornamental plant production. For the past 18 years, he has worked with Plant Variety Protection in the public sector, both at the national and international levels.