Abstract:

Traditional knowledge is based on the experience of indigenous people and has developed over time. Most often it is transmitted from generation to generation as oral knowledge and this is the weak point which makes traditional knowledge (TK) susceptible to misappropriation. TK provides valuable leads which save time and investment in research and development sector. Therefore transnational corporations exploit biological resources and associated knowledge. Indigenous people nurture these resources and develop traditional knowledge but they did not get any recognition or share of benefit from multinational corporations. This results in many cases of biopiracy in India as well as in other countries. Various strategies have been adopted to protect TK through positive and defensive protection.