---
kind: "section"
citation: "7 U.S.C. § 2426"
title: "7"
title_heading: "Agriculture"
number: "2426"
heading: "Confidential status of application"
release: "119-102"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/7/2426"
units:
  - "Chapter 57 — Plant Variety Protection"
  - "Subchapter II — Protectability of Plant Varieties and Certificates of Protection"
  - "Part E — Applications; Form; Who May File; Relating Back; Confidentiality"
---

# §2426. Confidential status of application


Applications for [plant](/usc/7/8901.md?p=10) [variety](/usc/7/2401.md?p=a-10) protection and their contents shall be kept in confidence by the [Plant](/usc/7/8901.md?p=10) [Variety](/usc/7/2401.md?p=a-10) Protection Office, by the [Board](/usc/7/1502.md?p=b-4), and by the offices in the Department of Agriculture to which access may be given under regulations. No information concerning the same shall be given without the [authority](/usc/7/2009aa.md?p=1) of the owner, unless necessary under special circumstances as may be determined by the Secretary, except that the Secretary may publish the [variety](/usc/7/2401.md?p=a-10) names designated in applications, stating the [kind](/usc/7/2401.md?p=a-5) to which each applies, the name of the applicant, and whether the applicant specified that the [variety](/usc/7/2401.md?p=a-10) is to be sold by [variety](/usc/7/2401.md?p=a-10) name only as a class of certified [seed](/usc/7/2401.md?p=a-6).


## Source credit

(Pub. L. 91–577, title II, § 56, Dec. 24, 1970, 84 Stat. 1549; Pub. L. 96–574, § 12, Dec. 22, 1980, 94 Stat. 3350.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1980—Pub. L. 96–574 inserted provisions relating to name of applicant and sale of the variety.