Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, “Authority of a Contracting Party” means the Authority entrusted with the implementation of the law on the protection of new varieties of plants for that Party; “breeder” means the person who has bred or discovered and developed a variety; “Contracting Party” means a State other than Belize or an intergovernmental organisation party to any of the following Acts of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants - the Act of December 2, 1961, as amended by the additional Act of November 10, 1972, the Act of October 23, 1978, and the Act of March 19, 1991; “Convention” means the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants of 1978 as last revised; “Court” means the Supreme Court of Judicature established under the Supreme Court of Judicature Act, Cap. 91; “holder” means the holder of a breeder’s right; “Minister” means the Attorney General; “Office” means the Office of Companies, Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property established under section 3 of the Patents Act, Cap. 253; “periodical” includes the Gazette, daily newspapers circulating in Belize or other publication issued by the Office; “protected variety” means any variety that is the subject of a “Register” means the Register of Plant Breeder’s Rights in which the matters specified in section 3 of this Act are required to be recorded; “Registrar” means the Registrar of Companies, Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property; and “variety” means a plant grouping within a single botanical taxon of the lowest known rank, which grouping, irrespective of whether the conditions for the grant of a breeder’s right are fully met, can be, (a) defined by the expression of the characteristics resulting from a given genotype or combination of genotypes; (b) distinguished from any other plant grouping by the expression of at least one of the said characteristics; and (c) considered as a unit with regard to its suitability for being propagated unchanged.