International convention UPOV ( Union for the protection of vegetable obtainings ) was signed with Paris the December 2nd 1961. It gathers the countries which practice the Certificat of vegetable obtaining (COV). The Member States met in 1968, 1972, 1978 and 1991 to re-examine the terms of this " certificat".

With the October 15th 2003, the UPOV counts 53 Member States, among which practically all large industrialized countries. Only three African countries form part of it: the South Africa, the Kenya and the Tunisia.

This protective system of the work of selection is attacked,

• on a side by the partisans of the system of the Brevet S, much more favorable to the obtentor (but much less favorable in the search of new varieties, because the holder of a patent can block any projection which it does not make itself, and with the farmer, because the COV allows the reproduction by the farmer himself of its seed, which a patent does not authorize),
• other by the partisans of a more reduced protection, even null, with the reason for the " food safety nationale" , of " independence of the farmers with respect to the firms semencières" , of " maintenance of the biodiversity végétale" , and any other reason which can be summarized with " we do not recognize the value of the work of the obtenteur" under an unspecified justification.

the UPOV is thus engaged in a permanent lobbying in order to defend and maintain, and extend to more country.