India`s suggestion on bio-piracy ignored

New Delhi had insisted that the disclosure for genetic resources must be part of the so-called horizontal negotiations to discuss trade-offs between Doha agriculture and market-opening for industrials commitments.

But the United States, along with some other industrialised countries, vehemently opposed India's proposal, which was backed by a number of developing countries on the ground that it "would substantially set back efforts to arrive at a viable way forward for the Doha negotiations."

In his report on the extension of the protection of geographical indications to items other than wines and spirits and those related to the relationship between the Trips Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity, Lamy said, "Different views have been expressed about linkages between the issues of GI extension and Trips/CBD and also between these issues and work elsewhere."

Though the director general did not pronounce a judgment on what would happen to these two issues, the report, for all practical purposes, has poured cold water on India's demand to start negotiations to hammer out the disclosure provisions in the Trips agreement due to fierce opposition from the United States and other members.

India attached more importance to amending the Trips agreement for including the disclosure provisions for genetic resources. It has also evinced interest in extending the GI protection to items other than wines and spirits because of the problems faced on the basmati rice when an American company sought the trademark for Texmati rice.

In fact, India along with several countries, demanded a clear decision to launch text-based negotiations to be part of the so-called horizontal negotiations to discuss trade-offs between commitments in Doha agriculture and market-opening for industrials.

But the United States and some leading farm exporting countries of the so-called New World