Earlier in 2024, Uruguay announced two major updates in the patent and regulatory spheres that are likely to encourage outside investment in Uruguayan industry, particularly for agbiotech: Uruguay is acceding to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and is also rolling out a new Gene Editing (GE) Decree. Together, these changes reflect major updates to Uruguay’s intellectual property (IP) system broadly.
Plant regulation and IP are particularly important in Uruguay, and the country is often on the shortlist of top target destinations for IP filings in agriculture, as it has the capacity to grow food for its own population as well as much of the rest of the world.
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Marley Macarewich, a summer associate in Morrison Foerster’s San Francisco office, contributed significantly to this post.