What do I need to consider when selecting a name for my new plant variety?
When your plant breeder's rights (PBR) application is successful, not only is your new plant variety protected, but its name is protected, as well as any synonym that is part of its registration.
The following table describes requirements for naming a new plant variety.
| What a name must be | What a name can be | What a name can't be |
|---|---|---|
| A word or words | An invented word | Likely to deceive or cause confusion, including confusion with the name of another plant variety of the same plant class |
| Compliant with the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants and codes under it | A word or words with additional letters or figures | A registered trade mark, or a trade mark sought to be registered, in relation to live plants, plant cells and plant tissues |
| The name of the variety in another country, if there is already an application in another country | The name of a living person, or of a corporation, but only if that person or corporation consents | A name that includes banned words, such as 'cross', 'hybrid', 'mutant', 'seedling', 'strain', 'variety', 'improved' or 'transformed' |