The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, has introduced draft amendments to the Patents Rules, 2003. These drafts detail various changes proposed by the Central Government, anchored on section 159 of the Patents Act, 1970. The government seeks to amend the …
easy rabies cure: Tobacco plants have been genetically modified to produce proteins used to combat the rabies virus. Till now, the only way to fight the virus was to use antibodies derived from either horses or humans; but they are difficult to get. Researchers from the Thomas Jefferson University, USA, …
sars (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is here to stay. So countries are now applying for patents on the sars virus . The ones seriously trying to cash in are the us Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc), University of Hong Kong's commercial arm Versitech Limited and British Columbia Cancer …
thai jasmine rice could soon suffer a similar fate as that of Indian basmati . The us is developing a new strain of the aromatic rice that is indigenous to Thailand. Under the research project, Chris Deren of the University of Florida, is altering original jasmine rice using gamma rays. …
The Andaman and Nicobar islands (a&n) are thought to be the emergent peaks of a submerged mountain range related to the Arakan Yoma range of mainland Burma. The islands include steep hills, and generally poor soil with little water holding capacity. Flat terrain is extremely limited and the larger islands …
herbs prove to be cheap and effective remedies for kala azar (visceral leishmaniasis). This has been found out during studies conducted by researchers from Patna-based Balaji Utthan Sansthan. The find is important, as most people affected by the disease cannot afford to buy drugs. Ninety per cent of the worldwide …
healing power: An Indian research team has been granted the rights to develop the curative potential of jamun (black plum fruit). The team has obtained a US patent on a compound extracted from jamun, which reduces blood sugar levels. The compound will be developed to produce a "herbal therapeutic product …
Sometime in 1996, fed up with the refusal of the ministry of environment and forests (mef) to prepare a biodiversity legislation for India, two non-governmental organisations, Gene Campaign and Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security, swung into action. Consultations among people interested in biodiversity and the environment began. Gene Campaign …
RIGHTS ISSUE: A patent on atta chakkis (flour mills). It sure was unexpected. But it's been granted. The latest victim of the patent rights regime is the Asian traditional knowledge of producing atta. The US patent office has given patent rights to Nebraska-based ConAgra Inc for the "method for producing …
In November 2001, developing countries succeeded in getting the World Trade Organisation (wto) Ministerial Conference held at Doha, Qatar, to issue a landmark declaration: public health should take precedence over wto patent rules. The
mustard, an integral part of Indian cuisine, has now become the subject of a raging controversy in the top echelons of India's scientific establishment. The debate centres around three transgenic mustard varieties that await clearance from the high-powered Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (geac) to make mustard (Brassica juncea) the first …
INFORMATION FEUDALISM . Peter Drahos with John Braithwaite . Earthscan Publications Limited . London . 2002 . Rs 920 In the last two decades, the intellectual property standards have changed drastically. Today, these rules are set by the global strategies of a small number of companies and business organisations. The …
indian scientists have extracted a herbal therapeutic drug with promising anti- diabetic properties from black plum fruit, which is better known as jamun in northern parts of the country. The product, isolated and purified from the fruit pulp of jamun (Eugenia jambolana), has won researchers from the University College of …
What is the traditional knowledge digital library (TKDL)? The tkdl essentially consists of information from 35,000 shlokas (verses) and formulations in 14 commonly available books on ayurveda, like Sarangadhara samhita and Bharat bhaisajya ratnakar. tkdl would have information on the medicines, the botanical and common names of the plants used, …
proponents of the global intellectual property rights (ipr) system have long claimed that patents and copyrights are essential for promoting innovation. Pharmaceutical companies, for instance, will think twice about investing millions in research for new drugs if they are not assured of making economic gains from a monopoly on the …
The Greater Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals (gaap) Act may be a bitter pill to swallow for patent holders in the pharmaceutical industry. But it is definitely a shot in the arm for the generic drug segment. The legislation
peruvian farmers and indigenous peoples' organisations are up in arms against two us patents on maca ( Lepidium meyenii ), a plant related to the mustard family, cultivated for centuries in the Puna highlands of Peru. Maca is a staple food crop of Peru and is widely marketed in the …
the term patent is not usually well received in India. It immediately brings to mind images of biopiracy, of large transnational entities making profits out of knowledge and natural resources protected and conserved by the poor. Communities have nurtured knowledge and health systems over millennia, a prime example being ayurveda. …
