Over 190 nations reach biopiracy treaty

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP)

— More than 190 nations agreed Friday on a new treaty to combat so-called biopiracy and regulate patents stemming from genetic resources such as medicinal plants, particularly ones whose uses owe a debt to traditional knowledge.

After lengthy negotiations, delegates approved to cheers and applause the “first WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) Treaty to address the interface between intellectual property, genetic resources and traditional knowledge,” the United Nations’ (UN) WIPO said in a statement.

The talks had been clouded by uncertainty, with one sticking point being sanctions for offenders, which pits developing countries against developed ones broadly speaking.

Genetic resources are increasingly used by companies in everything from cosmetics to seeds, medicines, biotechnology and food supplements.

They have enabled considerable progress in health, climate and food security, according to the UN.

After more than 20 years of discussions on the subject, WIPO’s more than 190 member states began negotiating on 13 May at the UN innovation and patenting agency’s Geneva headquarters on finalizing a treaty.

The treaty text says patent applicants will be required to disclose where the genetic resources used in an invention came from, and the indigenous people who provided the associated traditional knowledge.