Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the protection of new varieties of plants.

These Regulations are developed in accordance with the Seed Law of the People's Republic of China for the purposes of protecting rights to new plant varieties, encouraging the breeding and promoting the application of new plant varieties, and promoting the development of the agriculture, forestry and grassland industry. New plant varieties refer to plant varieties that have been artificially bred or improved from discovered wild plants, and possess novelty, distinctiveness, uniformity, stability and appropriate names (art. 2). The receipt and examination of application for rights in new varieties of plants and the granting of variety rights are entrusted to the administrative departments of agriculture and forestry under the State Council. Further provisions establish the content and ownership of variety rights, the conditions for the grant of, and the application for, variety rights, the examination, approval, term, termination and nullity of variety rights.