PART VIII
DENOMINATION
36.
—(1) A plant variety in respect of which an application for a grant of protection is made shall have a denomination and, subject to subsections (2) and (3), the denomination shall be approved by the Registrar and registered at the time the grant of protection is made.
(2) The Registrar shall approve and register a proposed denomination for a plant variety if, and only if, in the opinion of the Registrar, it complies with the prescribed requirements.
(3) The Registrar shall not approve or register a denomination for the plant variety which —
(a)
consists solely of figures, except where this is an established practice for designating plant varieties;
(b)
is likely to mislead or cause confusion concerning the characteristics, value or identity of the plant variety, or the identity of the breeder;
(c)
is contrary to any written law or public order, or is likely to be offensive to the public;
(d)
is likely to cause confusion with a trade mark, a name, a business or any other rights for which any person other than the applicant enjoys protection under any law; or
(e)
is likely to cause confusion with a trade mark for any material of another plant variety or for goods similar to any material of the first-mentioned plant variety for which the applicant enjoys protection under any law.
(4) Where a denomination for a plant variety has previously been submitted in any UPOV member other than Singapore for the purpose of registration in that UPOV member, the denomination submitted for the purpose of an application in Singapore in respect of that plant variety must be the same as the denomination submitted in the UPOV member.
(5) The Registrar shall approve the denomination submitted under subsection (4) upon the grant of protection, unless the Registrar considers the denomination to be unsuitable for use within Singapore.
(6) Where the Registrar refuses to approve a denomination under subsection (2), (3) or (5), the Registrar shall require, and the applicant shall propose, another denomination within the prescribed period.
37.
—(1) Any person who offers for sale or disposes of propagating material of a protected variety shall use the registered denomination for that protected variety, whether or not the term of the grant of protection has expired.
(2) A person shall not offer for sale or dispose of, under the registered denomination of a protected variety, propagating material of some other plant variety, whether or not the term of grant of protection has expired.
(3) A registered denomination for a protected variety or a denomination which is confusingly similar to the registered denomination shall not be used for any plant variety of the same plant species as the protected variety or for a plant specie which is closely related thereto or for any material of such a plant variety, so long as —
(a)
the registration of the registered denomination of the protected variety is in force; or
(b)
the registered denomination of the protected variety is still in use in respect of the commercial exploitation of the protected variety, even if the term of the grant of protection has expired.
(4) A person who sells or markets the propagating material or harvested material of a protected variety may, for that purpose, associate a trade mark, trade name or other similar indication which he owns with the registered denomination of that protected variety.
(5) Where a person associates a trade mark, trade name or other similar indication with the registered denomination under subsection (4), the denomination must nevertheless be easily recognisable and distinct from the trade mark, trade name or other similar indication.
[ICPNVP 1991, Art. 20; Sweden Plant Act 1997, Art. 1]
38.
—(1) An application for a declaration of invalidity of a registered denomination may be made to the Court on the ground that it is registered in breach of section 36(3).
(2) Where —
(a)
the registration of a denomination has been declared invalid by the Court under subsection (1); or
(b)
the use of the registered denomination by the grantee has been prohibited or restricted by an order of Court pursuant to any proceedings taken under any law,
the Registrar shall require the grantee to submit another suitable denomination for registration within the prescribed period.