Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 59 Data protection

1. Test and study reports shall benefit from data protection under the conditions laid down in this Article.

The protection shall apply to test and study reports concerning the active substance, safener or synergist, adjuvants and the plant protection product as referred to in Article 8(2) when they are submitted to a Member State by an applicant for authorisation under this Regulation, (the first applicant), provided that those test and study reports were:

(a) necessary for the authorisation or an amendment of an authorisation in order to allow the use on another crop; and

(b) certified as compliant with the principles of good laboratory practice or of good experimental practice.

Where a report is protected, it may not be used by the Member State which received it for the benefit of other applicants for authorisation of plant protection products, safeners or synergists and adjuvants, except as provided in paragraph 2 of this Article, in Article 62 or in Article 80.

The period of data protection is 10 years starting at the date of first authorisation in that Member State, except as provided in paragraph 2 of this Article or in Article 62. That period is extended to 13 years for plant protection products covered by Article 47.

Those periods shall be extended by 3 months for each extension of authorisation for minor uses as defined in Article 51(1), except where the extension of authorisation is based on extrapolation, if the applications for such authorisations are made by the authorisation holder at the latest 5 years after the date of the first authorisation in that Member State. The total period of data protection may in no case exceed 13 years. For plant protection products covered by Article 47 the total period of data protection may in no case exceed 15 years.

The same data protection rules as for the first authorisation shall also apply to test and study reports submitted by third parties for the purpose of extension of authorisation for minor uses as referred to in Article 51(1).

A study shall also be protected if it was necessary for the renewal or review of an authorisation. The period for data protection shall be 30 months. The first to fourth subparagraphs shall apply mutatis mutandis.

2. Paragraph 1 shall not apply:

(a) to test and study reports for which the applicant has submitted a letter of access; or

(b) where any period of data protection granted for the test and study reports concerned in relation to another plant protection product has expired.

3. Data protection under paragraph 1 shall only be granted where the first applicant has claimed data protection for test and study reports concerning the active substance, safener or synergist, adjuvant and the plant protection product at the time of submitting the dossier and has provided to the Member State concerned for each test or study report the information referred to in point (f) of Article 8(1) and in point (d) of Article 33(3) as well as confirmation that a period of data protection has never been granted for the test or study report or that any period granted has not expired.