India moves to prevent wrong patenting in US
20 Aug 2009
India will soon sign a pact with the US to prevent granting of wrong patents on this country's traditional products like neem, turmeric and basmati rice to American companies, environment minister Jairam Ramesh said today.
On an average, about 1,500 patents for Indian medicine-based products are issued in the US and Europe every year, the minister said, adding that the government is planning to document "oral knowledge" as well in a digital library, to be made available to the US and European patent authorities.
Ramesh said India has already signed a pact with the European Patent Office and has provided patent examiners there with India's `Traditional Knowledge Digital Library', a database on herbs and plants used in ayurvedic, unani, homoeopathy and siddha, for reference.
Stating that the country's bio-reserves face a "grave threat" from within and outside India, he called for sustainable use of the country's bio-diversity resources, including flora and fauna.
