(a) The Secretary may publish, or cause to be published, in such format as the Secretary shall determine to be suitable, the following:(1) The descriptions of plant varieties protected including drawings and photographs.
(2) The Official Journal of the Plant Variety Protection Office, including annual indices.
(3) Pamphlet copies of the plant variety protection laws and rules of practice and circulars or other publications relating to the business of the Office.
(b) The Secretary may (1) establish public facilities for the searching of plant variety protection records and materials, and (2) from time to time, as through an information service, disseminate to the public those portions of the technological and other public information available to or within the Plant Variety Protection Office to encourage innovation and promote the progress of plant breeding.
(c) The Secretary may exchange any of the publications specified for publications desirable for the use of the Plant Variety Protection Office. The Secretary may exchange copies of descriptions, drawings, and photographs of United States protected plant varieties for copies of descriptions, drawings, and photographs of applications and protected plant varieties of foreign countries.
(Pub. L. 91–577, title I, § 10, Dec. 24, 1970, 84 Stat. 1543; Pub. L. 96–574, §§ 5–8, Dec. 22, 1980, 94 Stat. 3350; Pub. L. 103–349, § 13(b), Oct. 6, 1994, 108 Stat. 3143.)
Editorial Notes
Amendments1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–349 substituted “the Secretary” for “he” before “shall” in introductory provisions.
1980—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 96–574, § 5, substituted provisions respecting descriptions for provisions respecting specifications.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 96–574, §§ 6, 7, struck out subsec. (b) which related to photolithography and lithography, redesignated subsec. (c) as (b) and substituted “plant breeding” for “the useful arts”.
Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 96–574, §§ 7, 8, redesignated subsec. (d) as (c) and substituted “descriptions” for “specifications” in two places. Former subsec. (c) redesignated (b).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 1994 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 103–349 effective 180 days after Oct. 6, 1994, see section 15 of Pub. L. 103–349, set out as a note under section 2401 of this title.