Abstract:

Traditional medical knowledge has social, cultural and scientific value and is important for many indigenous peoples and local communities. Growing commercial and scientific interest in traditional medicine systems has led to calls for traditional medical knowledge to be better recognized, respected, preserved and protected.Traditional medical knowledge, such as the medicinal use of herbs, is often associated with genetic resources.. Because genetic resources exist in nature and are not creations of the human mind, they cannot be directly protected as intellectual property (IP). They are, however, subject to access and benefit-sharing regulations under international agreements. This brief focuses on IP protection of traditional medical knowledge and does not deal specifically with associated genetic resources.