ISF welcomes new Intellectual Property and Legal Affairs Manager
The International Seed Federation (ISF) is pleased to welcome Szonja Csörgő as its new Intellectual Property and Legal Affairs Manager, beginning 1 November 2023.
Szonja has vast experience in law and policy. She is no stranger to the world of seed associations, having served as Director of Intellectual Property and Legal Affairs at Euroseeds which she joined in 2009. There, she led the association’s work on intellectual property protection on plants and seeds and access to genetic resources. She is well-versed in the topics of plant breeder’s rights, patents, and trademarks, as well as in biodiversity and benefit-sharing matters.
Prior to that, she worked for the European Commission first as a Member of the Legal Service, then as policy officer for anti-trust and merger policy. She also serves as Hungarian Legal Expert for a citizens’ advice service called Your Europe Advice.
In her new role as a member of the ISF Technical group, she will be responsible for the Coordination Groups on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and Illegal Seed Practices.
Szonja received her LL.M. in Competition and IP Law from the University of Liège in Belgium; a Degree in French and European law from the University Panthéon-Assas in Paris, France; and a Degree in Law from Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem (ELTE), Budapest, Hungary.
But enough of the official stuff — let’s get to know her better!
1. What was the last good film or TV series that you watched?
Szonja: Being the mum of 3 young boys who are full of energy, I rarely have time to watch TV or go to cinema. But actually the last time I went to cinema I did see a really good film. The funny thing is that it was during the last ISF midterm meetings in Rome when my husband joined me for the weekend.
The title of the film was Amsterdam, an American movie from 2022. The story starts at the end of World War I and is about two American soldiers and a nurse who accidentally meet in a hospital somewhere in France and when the war is over they decide to start a new life together in Amsterdam. The two men then return to the US and loose contact with the lady until they randomly meet again in the middle of an investigation of a mysterious murder. While the story is quite exciting as well, what I really loved about the film is that it beautifully pictures and brings you back to post World War I life in Europe and on the other side of the ocean. I can only recommend.
2. You work on such complex topics. What would you like people to know and understand about IP and genetic resources?
Szonja: That they are both for the benefit of society. Probably for genetic resources this may be more straightforward than for IP, but let me explain.
Being a lawyer by profession, for me, when I started in this sector IP was a known concept whereas the notion of genetic resources was a whole new world. Of course, for those coming from an agricultural background, it will be most probably the other way around! So, when discovering more about genetic resources and plant breeding I quickly started regretting that I actually never really appreciated biology as a subject in school.
In plant breeding, everything is about genetic resources — that is where the breeding process starts and where it ends. While genetic resources is a rather technical term, it seems to be more and more used and understood also by the general public. What is most often talked about and what is also easily understood by anyone, is the importance of conserving genetic resources for the future. However, what I would like people to understand is that using genetic resources is equally important, and that in both aspects plant breeding plays a key role by using and recombining genetic resources and turning hidden features to the benefit of society.
“…This is what I would like people to understand about IP and genetic resources: that they are both for the benefit of society.”
As regards intellectual property protection, there are various types of IP rights that people are confronted with in daily life (most often trademarks or copyright) but amongst those plant breeder’s rights is certainly not the most well-known one. Whereas in many sectors IP protection is a very well-accepted practice, in the field of seeds it is often looked at negatively because it is a private, exclusive right, which is then often associated with monopolies. It is however often forgotten that IP rights are bound to a certain territory and are limited in time. This is because historically such exclusive rights were granted by monarchs (or the actual rules of a given territory) to those great minds who created something new which contributed to and benefitted society at large. The exclusive rights for a given number of years served as a reward in return for the benefit for society and at the same time provided further motivation. This is no different today and this is what I would like people to understand about IP. That it is for the benefit of society.
3. What’s your dream travel destination?
Szonja: There are plenty of places around the world where I would love to have the opportunity to go once. All of those are dream places. But if I have to name one which would be first on the list, I think it would be Peru. When I was a child, my brother had a French teacher who was coming to our place every week to give him French lessons. She was a young Hungarian girl who spent her whole childhood in Peru and she always told nice and interesting stories about the country, the culture, the daily life. In the very beginning of the 90s in Hungary it was not so common to hear such experiences. I was totally fascinated by those stories and ever since I wanted to travel there one day. She had quite an impact on us as kids, no surprise that my brother quickly gave up French and preferred to learn Spanish with her.
4. If you could change one thing about our industry, what would it be?
Szonja: Perception and common myths. And it is not something that changes easily… Having worked in the past 13 years in the European seed sector where the level of regulation is relatively high, I could not really find any area of legislation which has not been contentious or where the seed sector’s positions have not been heavily criticized by different stakeholder groups and sometimes even by the public opinion. In the fields where I have been working the most, IP and access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing, these voices are especially strong and are often manifested in lack of trust.
“Having worked in the past 13 years in the European seed sector where the level of regulation is relatively high, I could not really find any area of legislation which has not been contentious or where the seed sector’s positions have not been heavily criticized by different stakeholder groups and sometimes even by the public opinion.”
For a long time the sector has been used to communicating about its activities in a rather technical language since the main target audience was technical officers, legislators and customers. In today’s world however it is equally important to be able to get across our messages in a manner that resonates with other stakeholders as well as the public. I have to say though that for me, in the quest to change those myths and perceptions and build trust, listening comes before speaking.
5. What activity do you wish to have more time for?
Szonja: Tennis and sewing. These are really the activities that I like doing if I find the time. Some 15 years ago I played tennis quite regularly, at a very modest level but very enthusiastic! It was actually my husband who brought tennis into my life as he was playing very actively himself. Nowadays it is more our sons who play and we are the supporters accompany them to their tournaments. It is also great fun!
Some years ago I also bought a sewing machine and started making clothes first for my kids, then for myself and others in the family. I have to say that it requires a lot of patience — which is not my biggest innate quality — but I find it really relaxing and when I am busy with my creations I can really forget about everything else.
In the coming weeks, Szonja will be reaching out to the members of the Coordination Groups under her responsibility. You may also connect with her on LinkedIn. Let’s all welcome Szonja!
