Not for cultured saplings. A plant growing in the forest is a resource, a carefully bred strain cultured over hundreds or thousands of years is nationalized IP.

> a carefully bred strain cultured over hundreds or thousands of years is nationalized IP

Is that just your opinion, or is there an internationally accepted legal framework around that? Could you perhaps post a link where I might learn more?

Just opinion... this kind of theft predates current law, though. Think of the silkworm smugglers [1] as well. Some crops an agri/zoo cultures were considered strategic resources and tightly controlled by the state. No idea what current international law says about stuff like this.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smuggling_of_silkworm_eggs_i...

It was the prevailing opinion at the time, and many compnies, some state-owned, have and do own patents on plants and their derivitive compounds. While its possible laws and treaties existed then, I am unaware of, I understand it was a literal trade secret, that had been stolen. It would not be hard to interpret that as theft (literal; of seedlings, or monetary; by damages) regardless of precedent. I know contries are still very protective. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-court...

Is there? We patent plants on one hand and on the other use raw ideas as a resource to build virtual and financial empires.

I'm pretty certain Monsanto disagrees with that statement.

The lines get real blurry with GMO.

Is there? If I steal a prototype from a company or tea saplings and ruin the companies business? If there is any it looks very superficial to me.

People don't generally know much about plant breeding, so they have no appreciation for it. They think almost production-ready lineages just grow out there, god-given to the humankind. They don't realize there can be 10s or 100s of years R&D work behind a cultivar.