Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Bioresources, IPR & WTO Regime in 21 Century: P. Pushpangadan
Bioresources, IPR & WTO Regime in 21 Century: P. Pushpangadan
P. Pushpangadan
National Botanical Research Institute
(Council of Scientific &Industrial Research),
IIM, Lucknow
to
of
to wealth and social good through the process of innovation will determine its future ( R A Mashelkar, 2001)
st 21
Century
21st century is the century of Biology powered and propelled by scientific knowledge and technological expertise Three technologies namely Biotechnology Herbal technology Information technology (Bioinformatics) are going to be the most powerful elements that are crucial for prosperity and welfare for the people of nations.
1623*
* In 1623, Great Britain proposed granting exclusive rights for new inventions with a term of 14 years through an act of the Parliament, known as the Statute of Monopolies Act of 1623. It was only towards the end of the eighteenth century and during the nineteenth century that comprehensive patent statutes got formalized in various countries, including France and USA.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) & World Trade Organization (WTO)
1883 A.D. 1886 A.D. 1891 A.D. 1947 A.D. Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistics Works Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Trademarks Formation of General Agreement on Tariffs & Trade (GATT)
Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Apellations of Origin and their International Registration
1958 A.D.
1961 A.D. 1967 A.D. 1970 A.D. 1970 A.D. 1974 1977 A.D. 1986-1994 1994 A.D. 1995 A.D.
Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations Decision to form World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) WIPO came into being at Geneva Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) WIPO became a UN Agency Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purpose of Patent Procedure GATT Ministerial Meetings (Uruguay Round Conference- URC) Final Round of URC at Marrakesh and declaration of the Final Act to form WTO. Decision to form WTO on 15th April 1994 World Trade Organization (WTO) came into being
CBD recognizes the sovereign rights of nations over their biological resources and associated knowledge systems.
Do not recognize any informal knowledge/ innovations of traditional communities for intellectual property rights.
Do not insulate Traditional Knowledge (TK) from intellectual piracy.
IPR & TK
IPR: The prime driving force behind industrial growth and development in the 19th & 20th centuries.
Do not recognize the informal system of innovation of indigenous people. Do not provide mechanism compensation or benefit sharing indigenous people. for with
But there are ways in which these laws can serve the
interests of these communities.
First International Congress on Ethnobiology at Belem, 1987, came out with the Declaration of Belem.
The declaration recognized a basic obligation that procedures to be developed to compensate native people on their knowledge and on their biological resources.
Second International Congress on Ethnobiology at Kunming, China in 1990 resolved to establish a Global Action Plan, The Kunming Action Plan for
Specific and urgent action to stop the destruction of biological and cultural diversity as mandated in the Declaration of Belem.
Global Coalition for Biocultural Diversity to unite the indigenous people, scientists and environmentalists concerned with the protection of indigenous/ local people rights.
Article 3 recognizes the sovereign rights of States over their biological resources.
Article 8(j) underlines the need to protect TK and points to the potential benefits to be realized from such knowledge through involvement of its holders and equitable benefitsharing. Article 15 states that when access to genetic resources is granted, it shall be on mutually agreed upon terms and subject to Prior Informed Consent.
Incentives to biodiversity-rich countries to conserve and sustainably use their genetic resources, including joint research, access to & transfer of technology (Articles 15,16).
TRIPS-CBD Relationship
Absence of explicit compatibility, Difference of approach and priority given to issues which are ultimately related. This has led to violation of the CBD (Articles 8,15 &16). TRIPs ignores a vast range of valuable, traditional knowledge (TK) because it doesn't meet the standards of patentability.
TRIPS-CBD Relationship
(Contd..)
Bioprospecting
Chemical Prospecting
Drugs and pharmaceuticals Pesticides Cosmetics Food additives Other industrially valuable Chemical products
Gene Prospecting
Genetic engineering Crop development Fermentation Cell culture
Bionic Prospecting
Designs Sensor technologies Architecture Bioengineering Biomodeling
Cosmetics
Proteins Conservation Sustainable use Benefit sharing Bioinformatics Enzymes New crop varieties GMOs GM foods
IPR
Designs etc.