He was also head of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV).

Plant variety is a legal term, following the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) Convention.

Guidelines for the conduct of tests for distinctness, uniformity and stability - Japanese pear, The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, 1994-11-04.

There are some protections for re-use, called "farmer's privilege", in the 1991 International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV Convention), but seed exchange remains prohibited.

The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV - French: Union internationale pour la protection des obtentions végétales) offers legal protection of plant cultivars to people or organisations who introduce new cultivars to commerce.