Patenting a tradition
THE success of patenting the curative attributes of turmeric has prompted the Indian government to set up an institute to catalogue the medicinal application of plants described in old Indian literature. This is to counter any move by any other country to patent the restorative characteristics of Indian plants. The Institute for Innovation and Intellectual Property will work under the aegis of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
"The turmeric case was an eye opener for us. We need this institute to deal with the complex emerging scenario in intellectual property generation," said C N R Rao, who heads the advisory board of CSIR. It took the CSIR two years to contest a patent claimed by two scientists of the University of Mississippi Medical Centre on the use of turmeric powder to heal wounds. The US patent and trade mark office ultimately rejected the claim of the scientists after CSIR proved that turmeric had been used in India for centuries as a home remedy. Following the legal battle, the Science Advisory Council to the Union Cabinet recommended the establishment of an institute to protect the country's traditional knowledge in medicine.
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