Traditional knowledge (TK) is in simple terms knowledge systems held by indigenous communities, often relating to their surrounding natural environment. Through globalisation and the increased availability of this knowledge as well as the implementation of intellectual property systems in the developing world TK and its relationship with the IPR-system has become a much debated and highly complicated issue. Patents have been granted with knowledge that stems from TK, some of these patents have been challenged and accused of being examples of ''biopiracy''. The task of attempting to better adjust the patent system to TK is being undertaken for the most part by working groups attached to the Convention on Biodiversity and the World Intellectual Property Organization's Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore. Due to amongst other things, the controversy of biopiracy much of the debate has been mired in what can be seen as post-colonial anger and guilt, it is highly politicised and often far removed from the legal issues at hand. This thesis attempts at reclaiming the issue from the political arena and approach the imperfect interaction between the two knowledge systems as a legal problem instead of a political one.
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Traditional Knowledge Vs. Patent System
Filed under Legal Cases, Patents, Study Reports