[pic] Plant Breeder's Rights Regulations 1994 Statutory Rules 1994 No. 352 as amended made under the Plant Breeder's Rights Act 1994 This compilation was prepared on 27 March 2007 taking into account amendments up to SLI 2007 No. 40 Prepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting and Publishing, Attorney-General's Department, Canberra Contents 1 Name of regulations [see Note 1] 3 2 Commencement [see Note 1] 3 3 Interpretation 3 3A Authorised testing establishment 3 3B Employees to whom Registrar may delegate (Act s59 (3)) 4 3C Employees to whom Minister's powers may be subdelegated (Act s59 (4)) 4 3D Employees to whom Secretary's powers may be subdelegated (Act s59 (4)) 4 3E Period for doing certain acts - office not open for business 5 3F Days when office not open for business 5 3G Period for doing certain acts - acts to which section 76A does not apply 5 4 Prescribed fees 6 5 Refund and remission of fees in specified circumstances 6 Schedule Fees 7 Notes 9 1 Name of regulations [see Note 1] These regulations are the Plant Breeder's Rights Regulations 1994. 2 Commencement [see Note 1] These Regulations commence on the date of commencement of the Plant Breeder's Rights Act 1994. 3 Interpretation (1) In these Regulations, unless the contrary intention appears: Act means the Plant Breeder's Rights Act 1994. authorised testing establishment means an establishment authorised under regulation 3A. (2) In the Schedule, a reference to a section or subsection, is a reference to that section or subsection of the Act. 3A Authorised testing establishment (1) For the purposes of conducting a test growing of a plant variety under section 37 of the Act, the Secretary may authorise, in writing, an establishment to conduct the test growing. (2) An establishment may be authorised only if the Secretary is satisfied that it is capable of conducting a test growing of a variety in a manner appropriate to give effect to the obligations of Australia under the Convention. (3) The Secretary must give the operator of the establishment written notice of: (a) the Secretary's decision whether to authorise the establishment; and (b) if the decision is a refusal - the reasons for that decision. (4) Subject to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975, application may be made to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for review of a decision of the Secretary to refuse to authorise an establishment. 3B Employees to whom Registrar may delegate (Act s59 (3)) For subsection 59 (3) of the Act, the Registrar may delegate all or any of the Registrar's powers or functions under the Act or these Regulations, to an employee of the PBR office: (a) holding, or performing the duties of, the position of Examiner of Plant Breeder's Rights; or (b) employed at any of the following levels: (i) Executive level 1 or 2; (ii) APS level 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. 3C Employees to whom Minister's powers may be subdelegated (Act s59 (4)) For subsection 59 (4) of the Act, the class of employee to whom the Minister's powers or functions may be delegated is an employee employed at Executive level 2. 3D Employees to whom Secretary's powers may be subdelegated (Act s59 (4)) For subsection 59 (4) of the Act, the class of employee to whom the Secretary's powers or functions may be delegated is an employee: (a) holding, or performing the duties of, the position of Examiner of Plant Breeder's Rights; or (b) employed at any of the following levels: (i) Executive level 1 or 2; (ii) APS level 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. 3E Period for doing certain acts - office not open for business For subsection 76A (1) of the Act, the circumstance is that the act is done at: (a) the PBR office; or (b) the PBR sub-office; that was not open for business. Note Subsection 76A (1) provides as follows: '(1) If the last day of a period provided by this Act (except this section) or the regulations for doing an act is a day when the PBR office or a PBR sub-office is not open for business, the act may be done in prescribed circumstances on the next day when the office or sub-office is open for business.'. 3F Days when office not open for business (1) For paragraph 76A (2) (a) of the Act, the days on which the PBR office or PBR sub-office is not open for business are: (a) Saturday; and (b) Sunday; and (c) Australia Day; and (d) Anzac Day. (2) For paragraph 76A (2) (b) of the Act, the Director General of IP Australia is a prescribed person. (3) For paragraph 76A (2) (b) of the Act, the prescribed way of publishing a declaration is in the Plant Varieties Journal. 3G Period for doing certain acts - acts to which section 76A does not apply For subsection 76A (7) of the Act, an act done in relation to proceedings in a court or a tribunal is prescribed. 4 Prescribed fees The fee payable under subsection 80 (2) of the Act for a matter set out in the Schedule is the fee specified in the Schedule for that matter. 5 Refund and remission of fees in specified circumstances (1) If a person has paid, in respect of a matter, an amount greater than the prescribed fee for the matter, the Secretary may refund to the person so much of the amount as is excess to the fee. (2) If a service in respect of which a person has paid a fee has not been provided, or has been provided only in part, the Secretary may refund the fee, or so much of the fee as is proportionate to the part of the service that has not been provided, as appropriate. (3) If a person to whom a refund could be made under subregulation (1) or (2) agrees, the Secretary may remit, against a fee that the person subsequently becomes liable to pay, an amount equal to the amount that could be refunded. (4) The Secretary must give each person to whom subregulation (1) or (2) applies written notice of: (a) the Secretary's decision whether to refund or remit an amount, a fee or part of a fee (as the case may be); and (b) if the decision is a refusal - the reasons for that decision. (5) Subject to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975, application may be made to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for review of a decision of the Secretary: (a) to refuse to refund: (i) an amount paid in excess of a prescribed fee; or (ii) a fee for a service that has not been provided; or (iii) so much of a fee as is proportionate to the part of a service that has not been provided; or (b) to refuse to remit an amount equal to an amount that could be refunded Schedule Fees (regulation 4) |Column 1 |Column 2 |Column 3| |Item |Act, service or occasion in respect of | | | |which fee is payable |Fee | |1A |Designation of an approved person under|$50 | | |section 8 | | |1B |Renewal of designation of an approved |$50 | | |person | | |1 |On making a request under subsection 19|$500 | | |(4), whether or not the request | | | |includes a request under subsection 19 | | | |(10) | | |2 |On making a request for a certificate |$100 | | |under subsection 19 (11) | | |3 |Amendment of the register on |$100 | | |notification of assignment under | | | |section 21 | | |4 |On lodgment of an application under |$300 | | |section 26 | | |5 |On making a request for a variation of |$100 | | |an application under subsection 31 (1) | | |6 |On lodgment of a detailed description |$ 800 | | |under section 34 for: |$1400 | | |(a) a variety tested under section 37 |$1400 | | |to establish that the variety is |$1200 | | |distinct, uniform and stable: | | | |(i) if the testing is conducted by an | | | |authorised establishment; | | | |(ii) in any other case | | | |(b) a variety to which subsection 38 | | | |(3), (4) or (5) applies | | | |(c) each of 2 or more varieties of the | | | |same plant species tested | | | |simultaneously at the same site in | | | |Australia under section 37 to establish| | | |that the varieties are distinct, | | | |uniform and stable, for which a | | | |complete application and detailed | | | |description are lodged on the same day | | | |by the same approved person or | | | |applicant or agent of the applicant | | | |under section 34 | | |7 |On lodgment of an objection under |$100 | | |section 35 | | |8 |On making a request for a copy of an |$50 | | |application, an objection or a detailed| | | |description under subsection 36 (2) | | |9 |On lodgment of an application for a |$800 | | |declaration of essential derivation | | | |under subsection 40 (1) | | |10 |Grant of PBR in a plant variety under |$300 | | |section 44 | | |11 |On lodgment of an application for: | | | |(a) revocation of a PBR under |$500 | | |subsection 50 (8); or |$500 | | |(b) revocation of a declaration of | | | |essential derivation under subsection | | | |50 (9) | | |12 |On making a request for a copy of an |$50 | | |entry in the register under subsection | | | |62 (2) | | |15 |For annual maintenance of a PBR - on |$300 | | |each anniversary of the grant | | |16 |For the undertaking, on request of a |$75 per | | |person, by the Secretary or the |hour or | | |Registrar of any work required or |part of | | |authorised under the Act and for which |an hour | | |a fee is not prescribed under any other| | | |item | | Notes to the Plant Breeder's Rights Regulations 1994 Note 1 The Plant Breeder's Rights Regulations 1994 (in force under the Plant Breeder's Rights Act 1994) as shown in this compilation comprise Statutory Rules 1994 No. 352 amended as indicated in the Tables below. Under the Legislative Instruments Act 2003, which came into force on 1 January 2005, it is a requirement for all non-exempt legislative instruments to be registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments. From 1 January 2005 the Statutory Rules series ceased to exist and was replaced with Select Legislative Instruments (SLI series). Numbering conventions remain the same, ie Year and Number. Table of Instruments |Year and |Date of |Date of |Application,| |number |notification|commencement |saving or | | | | |transitional| | |in Gazette | |provisions | | |or FRLI | | | | |registration| | | |1994 No. 352|18 Oct 1994 |10 Nov 1994 (see | | | | |Gazette 1994, No.| | | | |S392) | | |1994 No. 353|18 Oct 1994 |1 Jan 1995 |- | |1995 No. 290|10 Oct 1995 |10 Oct 1995 |- | |1999 No. 83 |4 June 1999 |4 June 1999 |- | |2006 No. 355|15 Dec 2006 |1 Mar 2007 |- | | |(see | | | | |F2006L03971)| | | |2007 No. 40 |23 Mar 2007 |Rr. 1-10 and |- | | |(see |Schedules 1, 2, | | | |F2007L00650)|3, 5 and 6: 27 | | | | |Mar 2007 | | | | |Schedules 4 and | | | | |8: (see r. 2 (b))| | | | | | | | | |Schedule 7: 27 | | | | |Mar 2007 (see r. | | | | |2 (c)) | | Table of Amendments |ad. = added or inserted am. = amended rep. = | |repealed rs. = repealed and substituted | |Provision affected|How affected | |R. 1 |rs. 1999 No. 83 | |R. 3 |am. 1995 No. 290 | |R. 3A |ad. 1995 No. 290 | | |am. 1999 No. 83 | |R. 3B |ad. 2007 No. 40 | |R. 3C |ad. 2007 No. 40 | |R. 3D |ad. 2007 No. 40 | |R. 3E |ad. 2007 No. 40 | |R. 3F |ad. 2007 No. 40 | |R. 3G |ad. 2007 No. 40 | |R. 4 (2nd |ad. 1995 No. 290 | |occurring) | | | |rep. 1999 No. 83 | |R. 5 |ad. 1999 No. 83 | |Schedule | | |Schedule |rs. 1994 No. 353 | | |am. 1995 No. 290; 2006 No. 355 |