| Patents slip out as India nurses data |
| Monica Gupta / New Delhi January 23, 2006 |
| India's reluctance to share the database of its traditional knowledge digital library with patents offices in the US and EU has resulted in almost 18,000 patents based on Indian medicinal plants being granted there in the last two to three years. Though the digital library is administratively under the department of Ayush in the health ministry, the ministry of human resources and development (HRD) has raised an objection over the sharing of database. The HRD ministry is of the view that the existing policy only allows access to domestic patents offices and giving access to other countries will require an approval from the Cabinet. Government officials pointed out that the objection of the HRD ministry was on account of a confusion between patent and copyright. The digital library contains several translations of ancient scriptures regarding the use of medicinal plants, which are covered by copyright and not patents as contended by the HRD ministry. |
