Open Source Plant Breeding and the Open Source Seed Initiative

Freedom to operate in plant breeding has changed dramatically over the last 50 years as modern intellectual property rights (IPR) framework has been adopted by the public and private sectors. Germplasm may now be restricted in many ways including patents, licenses, material transfer agreements (MTAs), and contracts. While such restrictions have fostered the growth of a global seed sector, plant breeders are now more restricted in what germplasm they can use, and how they can use it in breeding programs. Open source plant breeding has the potential to foster a return to more open exchange of plant germplasm and freedom to operate for plant breeding. The Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI) was developed as an educational and outreach organization to raise awareness of and provide an alternative to the modern IPR regime in the US. OSSI is a conduit for germplasm to remain in a protected commons, using the mechanism of an open source Pledge.