193 UN member nations adopt the WIPO Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and Associated Traditional Knowledge Treaty to protect indigenous traditional knowledge and patents in genetic resources.
193 UN member nations reached a new treaty to trace the origins of genetic resources, including medicines from exotic plants, under the global patent system. The WIPO Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and Associated Traditional Knowledge Treaty is the first agreement among member states to address patent protections for traditional knowledge from indigenous cultures, historically exploited by colonizers, traders, and others. The treaty focuses on genetic resources like farm-grown foods, certain animal varieties, and medicinal plants, and will apply only to discoveries made in the future, not the past.
May 23, 2024
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