b"SINCE YOU ASKEDBY: NIELS LOUWAARSOPEN SOURCE SEED,A HOAX OR A WAKE-UP CALL?O pen source is a trend in various industries. It startedThe NO also relates to the (initial) purpose of the open to take root in the software industry (Mozilla), followedsource seed initiatives, i.e. freeing the source, i.e. the genetic by biotechnology (CAMBIA) and publishing, where theresources. The American initiative took the patenting in the creative commons concepts have taken root. Several of thesebreeding sector as the argument to launch their quest. The trends are based in an opposition against corporate power gen- source is however completely open in plant breeders' rights, erated by exclusive rights provided by patents and copyright.which is the dominant IP system for breeders elsewhere, so there Others have a positive goal, i.e. to enhance participation by ais hardly a need for an open source initiative. However, both initi-much wider population to generate, validate and share infor- atives added the freedom of farmers to freely save and sell farm mation (e.g. Wikipedia). saved seed, which has little to do with opening the source, but The seed sector has a very good story to tell with regardinstead support to freeriding on the innovative work of others. to its contributions to societal goals, but in parts of society theThis also relates directly to the lack of business model.corporate image and the use of patents create questions, so we could expect that also our sector would be challenged. It is there now. The University of Wisconsin developed an Open SourceThe source is completely open Seed initiative several years ago, which was followed in Germany more recently. Access to freed plant genetic resources is madein plant breeders rights, conditional to users making them available under the same open source conditionsthat no IP is vested. The system should thusthe dominant IP system for go viral and force breeders to join and thus stop protecting their products through IP.breeders, so there is hardly Should we worry? Yes and NO! a need for an open source The YES relates to the fact that we should not take our license to produce for granted and that IP protection is a keyinitiative.element of the opposition that we face. Genetic resources are natural resources, whether they are derived from nature or cre-ated in our laboratories. As a result, debates in society can easily derail when such resources are privatised. So even when theThe initiatives are small, limited to some public institutions initiative will not go viral, similar to Richard Jeffersons BiOSand breeders catering for the (bio)dynamic part of the organic and CAMBIA initiatives in plant biotechnology, then still thesector. When they would grow, though, they would restrict the emergence of the initiative should make us think twice aboutbreeders exemption for conventional breeders in a similar way our public image. that patents do. They close off actual access to genetic resources The NO relates to the chances of the initiatives growingdespite their intent to open the source.and capturing a significant share of genetic resources for anyTheir business models are yet unclear and depend on vol-crop. The American initiative uses a Pledge (patents are costlyuntary benefit sharing from chain partners, charity and public to use in open source strategies compared to copyright); themoney. Through those lines they may generate sympathy in Germans use a bag tag license contract that they hope to enforceparts of society. We should study their motives in order to better through the Nagoya Protocol which requires breeders to be ableposition the many good things that the plant breeding & seed to show legality of their use of genetic resources. Currently, thesector does for society. We agree that the source should remain open source initiative is embraced by breeders in a particularopen for all breeders, but not in their way.section of the organic sector. These breeders operate at a limited and localised scale. One may wonder whether their varieties willNiels Louwaars is the Managing Director at Plantum. This soon become important and unavoidable parent for conventionalarticle does not necessarily reflect the views of allbreeding. Plantum members.62IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM"