India seeks Third World support on TRIPS

India hopes to garner support from developing countries in its bid to include disclosure norms for "traditional resources" under the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). It will push for the inclusion during the forthcoming World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in Hong Kong.

New Delhi is working with a group of 17 "mega bio-diverse countries" for the inclusion of bio-diversity and traditional knowledge, and is planning to submit a proposal on the issue at the summit.

Officials said India was keen to have a ministerial declaration on traditional knowledge and bio-diversity under TRIPS akin to a declaration on TRIPS and public health.

They also pointed out that India was seeking amendments in TRIPS on three counts. It wanted that applicants for patents must disclose the source of biological resources; the applicants should acquire prior-informed consent; and there should be evidence of equitable benefit sharing.

The ministry of environment and forest reserves is finalising guidelines for benefit-sharing for Indian companies that use traditional resources. The norms will be finalised in the next three months.

They intend to compel companies to share the benefits of patented products with communities from which resources are taken. But amendments to the TRIPS Agreement had not found large support as many member countries felt that the whole task would be too cumbersome.

India was hopeful that at least disclosure of the source of a traditional resource would be made mandatory for companies. "This alone will also be a step in the right direction," a government official said, adding that it would be tantamount to admitting that there was an issue which needed to be addressed.

India had already written to over 30 countries to gather support for a ministerial declaration on traditional knowledge and bio-diversity. A lot of countries had responded with support and recently, the European Union had assured that it backed the issue, an official said.