In the case of developing a new apple cultivar, the specific form of intellectual property protection to pursue would be plant variety rights (PVR). Plant variety rights are a form of intellectual property that grants the breeder exclusive control over the propagation of a new plant variety for a number of years. This protection allows the breeder to license the variety to others and to collect royalties, thus optimizing revenue from the intellectual property. This approach is particularly relevant in horticulture and agriculture, where new plant varieties need protection to ensure that breeders can benefit from their innovations (UPOV, 1991; USPTO,
2021).