Aurora Cannabis has secured EU community plant variety rights for two proprietary marijuana cultivars, granting the company exclusive commercial control over the genetics across all 27 European Union member states.
The protections cover two Cannabis sativa L. varieties bred in Canada through Aurora’s internal breeding and phenotyping programs: SOT20R07-007, marketed as Farm Gas, and ACB21T044, known as Sourdough. Both strains are already core offerings in Aurora’s medical marijuana portfolio and are currently available to patients in Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
Community plant variety rights function similarly to plant patents, giving the rights holder control over the production, reproduction and sale of protected cultivars for the duration of the protection period. For Aurora, the designation strengthens its intellectual property position in Europe while allowing the company to expand global commercialization of its genetics through its own cultivation facilities, as well as through licensed partners.
Aurora said the two strains were selected for protection due to their consistent performance and patient appeal, including potency, aroma profiles, and uniform bud structure, traits that are particularly important in regulated medical markets that emphasize product reliability.
“Being granted Community Plant Variety Rights in the EU is a direct recognition of the exceptional cannabis genetics work underway at our preeminent Aurora Coast R&D facility that is unmatched in its level of excellence,” said Lana Culley, Aurora’s vice president of innovation and international operations. “This protection not only strengthens Aurora’s global genetics portfolio, but also ensures that our high-quality, differentiated varieties can consistently reach patients and consumers worldwide.”
The EU designation builds on existing protections Aurora already holds in Canada and other jurisdictions, further reinforcing the company’s strategy of using proprietary genetics as a cornerstone of its international medical marijuana business, particularly in Europe, which remains one of its most valuable growth markets.
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