Introduction
Generally, the law of intellectual property regulates the legal
rights over certain kind of property which are developed by the
exertion of the creative intellect. Traditionally, intellectual
property law deals mostly with the laws of copyright, patents,
trademarks, and industrial designs However, in this modern age, the
legal circumference of intellectual property has transcended beyond
this traditional quadruplicity. Today, a discussion of intellectual
property will normally involve topics like geographical
indications, trade secrets, utility models, artificial
intelligence, and more recently, plant varieties.
Until 2021, Nigeria did not have any specific law on plant
varieties. At best, the only mention of plant varieties under
Nigerian law was the provision of Section 1(4) of the
Patents and Designs Act 1971 which totally disqualified plant
varieties from patent protection. The alternative source of law
would be international law on the subject,
