Bio-cultural Rights, Genetic Resources and Intellectual Property : Interacting Regimes and Epicentres of Power

This thesis analyses the struggle over rights to benefits and ownership of plant genetic resources and the global regime complex on the management of plant genetic resources, and how different regimes concerning these resources cooperate or stand in opposition to each other. Because of changes in US patent law and the establishment of TRIPS, patent claims over plant genetic resources has increased dramatically globally. This, amongst other things, in turn has lead to the acrimonious negotiations of access and benefit sharing arrangements within the framework CBD. The objective of this thesis is to examine the interaction between the international regimes regulating genetic resources and intellectual property and to analyse how these regime interactions, affect the protection of traditional knowledge held by local communities, indigenous peoples and small farmers in developing countries. The thesis concludes that it exists several regime interactions that are disruptive and undermine the possibility of protecting traditional knowledge from misappropriation. It is further concluded that modifications of the existing IPR regimes, on the disclosure of inventions, with a certificate of legal provenance, securing FPIC, MAT and benefit sharing, may serve as one brick in the wall that protect traditional knowledge from misappropriation through wrongly granted patents. But a certificate of legal provenance will not do the work alone. To protect traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources in the long term bio-cultural solutions which sustains the entire community where traditional knowledge is embedded is needed