Cos must share patent benefits with nations

Nations with rich biodiversity need to evolve a strategy for introducing changes in global regulation to ensure that they get to share the benefits of their resources, which are used by the developed countries, experts said in New Delhi [ Images ] on Monday.

"The world's top biodiversity-rich nations should work together and find out a way to convince the developed world to recognise their contribution and share the benefits," Minister of State for Environment and Forests Namo Narayan Meena said inaugurating a five-day 'Meeting of the Like Minded Megadiverse Countries.

In today's world when biodiversity is seen as an instrument to eradicate poverty and improving the quality of life, nations with rich biodiversity should also be involved in drafting intellectual property rights through making key changes in global regulations, he said.

It should be mandatory for companies to disclose the origin of biological resources or traditional knowledge used in the technological invention in a patent application. This would help flow the benefits to the nations from Asia, Africa and South America whose resources have been utilised, he said.

Such a regime would ensure that in case of an innovation using turmeric's wound-healing properties, the innovator has to share the benefits with India [ Images ] since this is known traditionally in the country, he said.

The international meet aims at forming a powerful group that would build pressure on developed nations to financially benefit countries whose resources have been utilised, Charles McNeill from the United Nations Development Programme said.

"The agreement should ensure that there are caretakers of conservation projects and both monetary and non-monetary benefits are evenly shared," McNeil said.

Besides, economics the draft should also take care of the conservation of biodiversity that provides us food, water, soil and air to survive, Balakrishna Pisupati from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources said.

"It's not only the monetary benefits that has to be addressed but we should also issue guidelines to improve conservation practices to make it sustainable," he said.

Though the Convention on Biological Diversity under the UN has agreed for an international regime on access and benefit sharing, things have not move in the desired direction, Meena said.

Representatives from Bolivia, Brazil [ Images ], China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Congo, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, South Africa [ Images ], and Venezuela are meeting in the national capital to formulate strategies to convince the West.