It’s certainly nothing that I’ve heard about, here in the US.

As you mentioned, now that more new things seem to be coming onto the market, the idea that growers don’t seem to see registration as important is unsettling.  The American Peony Society was originally founded as a response to the confusion and chaos that was surrounding the naming and misnaming of peonies that was happening at the time.   It would be sad to think that we are entering a new era of that very same thing.