IP AND TRADTIONAL MEDICINES
The Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (“CIPA”) in Botswana is leading an initiative that is aimed at preventing biopiracy and ensuring that local knowledge of traditional medicine is not exploited without benefiting the local communities as well. To achieve this, CIPA is, effectively, looking to establish a register for traditional medicine practitioners as well as for their remedies. The aim is to protect local knowledge and remedies so that the local communities can benefit from those resources, while also preventing biopiracy. It is an interesting intersection between traditional medicines and leveraging intellectual property laws and principles to guarantee protection.
Source: CIPA promotes IP use in traditional medicine – The Patriot On Sunday
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