It’s poetic justice: attempts to misappropriate the developing world’s traditional knowledge by claiming patent rights over it have led to a better, fairer intellectual property (IP) system that safeguards traditional knowledge from future such attempts.
It began with the University of Mississippi’s claim for a US patent on the wound-healing properties of turmeric, and US company RiceTec’s claim for a UK patent on genetically Indian basmati rice. Those who fought these claims prevented the commercial patenting of traditional knowledge, something that has existed for generations in developing economies. They also helped create a global monitoring and watch system for future patent claims. The resultant Traditional Knowledge Digital Library and Traditional Knowledge Resource Classification link to patent offices across the globe.
The turmeric battle
