Biopiracy
உயிரித் திருட்டு
Multinational corporations are not innovators; they are extractors. They patent traditional knowledge to monopolize bio-resources that belong to indigenous communities. If you think Biotechnology is only about recombinant DNA technology, you are missing the ethical crisis of Biopiracy.
The idea
Biopiracy is the unauthorized exploitation of bio-resources and traditional knowledge by organizations for commercial gain. It occurs when companies patent biological products or processes derived from indigenous resources without compensatory payment or authorization. This violates the sovereignty of the source nation and the rights of the local people who nurtured these resources for centuries.
Why it matters
It arises from the economic disparity between biodiversity-rich developing nations and financially wealthy industrialized nations.
NEET lens
NEET focuses on the definition and the ethical violation aspect. Remember: Biopiracy is about unauthorized commercialization, not just scientific research. Expect questions linking this to the Indian government's legislative response, specifically the Indian Patents Bill and the role of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC).
Clinical significance
Biopiracy disrupts the equitable distribution of medicinal resources, often leading to the loss of traditional herbal knowledge essential for primary healthcare. When indigenous knowledge is patented by corporations, the original communities lose access to their own traditional medicines, potentially worsening public health outcomes in those regions.
Introduction
Biopiracy is the use of bio-resources by multinational companies and other organisations without proper authorisation from the countries and people concerned, and without compensatory payment.
Core concept
Industrialised nations are rich financially but poor in biodiversity and traditional knowledge; developing and underdeveloped countries are rich in biodiversity and traditional knowledge related to bio-resources. Example (NCERT): Basmati rice is distinct for its unique flavour and aroma; India has 27 documented varieties. In 1997, an American company got patent rights on Basmati rice through the US Patent and Trademark Office, allowing it to sell a 'new' variety of Basmati in the US and abroad — this 'new' variety had actually been derived from Indian farmers' varieties (crossed with semi-dwarf varieties). Other examples: attempts to patent uses, products and processes based on Indian traditional herbal medicines, e.g. turmeric and neem. The Indian Parliament has cleared the second amendment of the Indian Patents Bill, which takes such issues into consideration, including patent terms, emergency provisions and research and development initiatives.
Go deeper
Biopiracy raises questions of justice: the communities who preserved a bio-resource for centuries often get no benefit when it is commercialised.
From Class 10
When a foreign company patents something from Indian plants or traditional knowledge without permission, it is called biopiracy.