Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO)

What Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) does

The Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) is a European Union decentralized agency established in 1994 under Council Regulation (EC) No 2100/94 and headquartered in Angers, France. It administers the Community Plant Variety Rights (CPVR) system, granting unitary intellectual property protection for new plant varieties across all 27 EU Member States through a single application procedure. Applicants — primarily plant breeders, seed companies, and to a lesser extent research institutions and regional agricultural bodies — file electronically via the CPVO website and manage proceedings through the MyPVR client portal. Technical Distinctness, Uniformity, and Stability (DUS) examinations are conducted by entrusted examination offices across EU Member States, with mutual recognition agreements extending DUS test acceptance internationally (notably with Taiwan for Phalaenopsis and Oncidium orchids). Approximately 90% of applications originate from small and medium-sized enterprises.

CPVO's core technology stack comprises the MyPVR online client portal, the publicly accessible Variety Finder database covering plant variety registers from more than 70 countries (over 1 million records, partially sourced from UPOV's PLUTO database), and the CPVO Applications and Titles in Force register. The agency operates as a self-financing EU body, generating revenue through a diversified fee schedule: a €450 online application fee, species-variable DUS technical examination fees, recurring annual maintenance fees tied to protection duration (25 years, or 30 for vines, trees, and potatoes), and transactional administrative fees (€100 transfer recordal, €2,100 appeal, certified document fees). The EUIPO-implemented Ideas Powered for Business SME Fund (Voucher 4) subsidizes up to 75% of CPVO fees (capped at €1,500) for eligible SMEs. CPVO distributes services through self-service digital channels supplemented by webinars, a podcast ('Seeds of Tomorrow'), video tutorials, and event participation, with bilateral interoperability initiatives (e.g., the 2026 harmonized form with the Dutch Board for Plant Varieties) signaling continued ecosystem expansion.

Name

Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO)

Legal name

Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO)

Website

https://cpvo.europa.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) is an EU decentralized agency headquartered in Angers, France, administering unitary Community Plant Variety Rights across all 27 EU Member States for plant breeders, seed companies, and research institutions through a fee-based self-service digital platform anchored by the MyPVR portal and Variety Finder database.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Angers

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. CPVR Application Fees: Fees charged for filing Community Plant Variety Rights applications. The online application fee is €450. These are one-time fees collected at the time of application submission.
2. Technical Examination Fees: Fees for conducting DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity, Stability) technical examinations of plant varieties. These vary by species and are paid by applicants.
3. Annual Fees: Annual maintenance fees due to keep CPVRs in force. The first annual fee is due within 60 days of the granting date; subsequent fees are due on the first day of the calendar month preceding the anniversary month. Fee levels are set to maintain a balanced budget.
4. Administrative Fees: Various administrative fees including €100 for transfer recordal, €20 for certified document copies (first 10 pages) plus €1 per additional page, and €2,100 appeal fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The CPVO is a European Union agency that manages the Community Plant Variety Rights (CPVR) system, granting unitary intellectual property protection for new plant varieties across all 27 EU Member States through a single application. Its core offering is the registration and maintenance of plant variety rights, supported by DUS technical examinations, the MyPVR client portal, the Variety Finder database, Official Publications, and a Board of Appeal.

Product overview

The CPVO is a European Union agency managing the Community Plant Variety Rights (CPVR) system, providing intellectual property protection for new plant varieties across all 27 EU Member States through a single application. The core offerings include the MyPVR client portal for applicants and holders to manage their files, the CPVO Variety Finder database covering 70+ countries with search tools and denomination testing, and the Online Application System for filing Community Plant Variety Rights. Supporting services include Technical Examination Services with protocols and entrusted examination offices, Official Publications (Gazettes and S2/S3 documents), video tutorials, and the Seeds of Tomorrow podcast. The system enables breeders to protect innovations through distinctness, uniformity, and stability (DUS) testing with harmonized international cooperation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MyPVR: Online client portal for applicants, holders, and representatives to e-consult and e-exchange on their plant variety rights files.
• Variety Finder
• SME Fund

Products and services

• MyPVR (My Plant Variety Rights) Portal Online client portal providing applicants, holders, and representatives secure access to e-consult and e-exchange on their CPVO files, check application status, access documents, submit surrenders and withdrawals, and manage communications through a Communication Center.
• CPVO Variety Finder Database Web-based database containing information on plant variety registers from more than 70 countries, with general search and similarity search tools to test denomination suitability and support prior art analysis. Includes PBR, NLI, COM, EUTM, and PLP register types.
• Community Plant Variety Rights (CPVR) Application Service Core service through which plant breeders file a single application to obtain Community Plant Variety Rights (CPVR) providing unitary IP protection across all 27 EU Member States, with a protection duration of 25 years (30 years for vines, trees, and potatoes).
• CPVO Register (Applications and Titles in Force Database) Public database containing information on CPVO files, divided into the MyPVR client area and a public area for consultation on applications and titles in force.
• DUS Technical Examination Services Technical services for assessing the Distinctness, Uniformity, and Stability (DUS) of new plant varieties, conducted through a network of entrusted EU examination offices and CPVO Technical Protocols, with mutual recognition of test reports from international partners.
• Official Publications (e-Gazettes and S2/S3 Publications) E-Official Publications including Gazettes containing Register data and S2/S3 publications containing closing dates and plant material submission requirements.
• Board of Appeal Service Appeals body where applicants can contest CPVO decisions, with a €2,100 appeal fee and a list of 16 qualified members adopted by the Administrative Council for five-year terms.
• SME Fund Voucher 4 (Plant Variety Applications) Financial reimbursement scheme under the EUIPO-administered Ideas Powered for Business SME Fund offering 75% reimbursement of CPVO examination and application fees, up to a maximum of EUR 1,500 per SME beneficiary, to support small and medium-sized breeders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Single application provides CPVR protection across all 27 EU Member States, eliminating need for multiple national filings
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dutch Board for Plant Varieties (Naktuinbouw)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026The CPVO and Dutch Board for Plant Varieties collaborated on a harmonized application form enabling applicants to easily duplicate administrative information between the two authorities' online systems. Available from 30 June 2026, this streamlines applications for plant breeders seeking protection in both the EU and the Netherlands.
• Taiwan Agriculture and Food AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2026Bilateral cooperation on plant variety protection expanded to include Oncidium orchids (in addition to existing Phalaenopsis agreement). The agreement focuses on mutual recognition of DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity, Stability) testing, allowing breeders to bypass duplicate technical trials. CPVO President Francesco Mattina and Agriculture and Food Agency Director Yao Shih-yuan signed the document in Taipei.
• EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026EUIPO implements the Ideas Powered for Business SME Fund initiative, of which Voucher 4 specifically supports plant breeders applying for Community Plant Variety Rights. The SME Fund reimburses up to 75% of CPVO examination and application fees, up to EUR 1,500 per SME.
• SAPISE Rice CooperativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPVO case study featuring the SAPISE rice cooperative model in Italy, demonstrating closed supply chain identity and value creation. The cooperative uses plant variety protection to safeguard Riso Venere black rice variety investments.
• SEMAEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench inter-professional seed sector association that organized the #VillageSemence television program at Salon International de l'Agriculture 2023. CPVO President Francesco Mattina participated in a televised roundtable debate on seed sovereignty and plant variety protection systems.
• EUIPO ObservatorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative study with EUIPO to quantify the economic contribution of the Plant Variety Rights system in the European Union. The study examined PVR's contribution to global competitiveness of EU agriculture and horticulture sectors and aligned with EU policy objectives including Green Deal, Biodiversity, Farm to Fork, and R&D strategies.
• University of Bologna (DISTAL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner that developed the Bernina© apple variety through long-standing breeding programs. The university licensed the variety to a territorial value chain project in Valtellina, supported by CPVO plant variety protection.
• Fondazione Fojanini for Advanced Studies in SondriominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch foundation serving as Managing Entity for the Bernina© apple territorial value chain in Valtellina. Coordinates different actors, defines common production protocols, establishes quality criteria, and supports promotional activities. Carried out local agronomic experimentation in trial fields.
• ERSAF Lombardy (Regional Agency for Agriculture and Forestry Services)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional agency of Lombardy that funded the Bernina© apple project with €600,000 regional contribution. Designed the project pathway, managed funds, prepared procurement procedures, coordinated actors, and monitored results for the five-year territorial value chain project.
• UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization with which CPVO has a cooperation agreement. Based on this agreement, non-EU data from the UPOV PLUTO database is loaded into the CPVO Variety Finder, and data exchange is maintained between the organizations.
• EU Examination OfficescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEU Member State examination offices entrusted by the CPVO Administrative Council to conduct technical DUS examinations. The CPVO may take over DUS reports from these offices when processing CPVR applications.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Naktuinbouw (Dutch Board for Plant Varieties): Dutch national plant variety rights office that already partners with CPVO on harmonized applications (June 2026). Directly comparable as a national PVR authority operating a similar registration system and DUS examination process.
• EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office): Sister EU decentralized agency managing EU-wide trademark and design rights. Directly comparable as an EU agency providing unitary IP protection across Member States through a single application, with a similar self-funded fee model and SME Fund integration.

Broad incumbents

• UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants): International intergovernmental organization coordinating plant variety protection globally. CPVO is a UPOV member and data exchange partner, making UPOV the most directly relevant international peer in the same plant variety rights domain.
• WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization): UN agency providing global IP services and policy coordination across patents, trademarks, and plant variety rights. Comparable as a higher-level IP coordination body with an overlapping mandate, though broader in scope.
• USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office): US federal agency managing patents and trademarks, including plant patents and plant variety protection under the Plant Patent Act. Comparable as a major national IP rights agency, though much broader in scope than CPVO's plant-specific focus.
• EPO (European Patent Office): European organization issuing patents including for plant biotechnological inventions. Comparable as a major European IP authority with overlapping mandate in plant-related IP and similar fee-based self-funding model.

Regional players

• UK Plant Variety Rights Office (PVRO): UK national PVR office operating the UK plant variety rights system post-Brexit. Comparable as a national plant variety rights authority; particularly relevant given the UK's separation from the EU CPVR unitary system.
• Bundessortenamt (German Federal Plant Variety Office): German national plant variety rights authority and entrusted CPVO examination office. Comparable as a national PVR body operating within the EU system with similar DUS testing responsibilities.
• GEVES (Groupe d'étude et de contrôle des variétés et des semences): French variety and seed study group conducting DUS examinations for CPVO applications. Comparable as a national examination body supporting plant variety protection within the EU framework.

Others

• Community Trade Mark Network / EUIPO Observatory: EUIPO Observatory functions including economic contribution studies on IP rights systems. Comparable as a partner organization conducting joint research on plant variety rights' economic contribution in the EU, with overlapping policy and analytical scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CPVOTweets
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUUEHok3qqYzqU_jfWb2Wew
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-plant-variety-office

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO)