***start of transmission***

--- biopirates attack on africa ---

--- medicine, cosmetics and agriculturl products from africa are being patented by multinational companies, without any share of gain or profit for the source countries. ---

[full text] biopiracy describes the act of "incorporating biodiversity ie. biological material (plants, animals, microorganisms and their contents) or of traditional knowledge in connection wth this biodiversity, without informed consent of those, whose biodiversity or traditional knowledge is being taken." a study recently published with the title "out of africa: mysteries of access and benefit sharing", which listed 36 cases of biopiracy in africa, created outrage and discussions on conventions dealing with negotiating a fair deal for developing countries, so that they may also profit from from hteir genetic ressources and traditional knowledge. the study is about cases with medicine, cosmetics and agricultural products, which had biodiversity as their fundament, including plants, sea creatures and microbes.

the study was published by the american edmonds institute in cooperation with the african centre for biosafety on a meeting of the convention on biological biodiversity (cbd). there the discussion was about international rules regulating bioprospecting (the focused search for usable genetical material) to ensure a fair and sustainable profit for countries and communities providing biological ressources and the enclosed traditional knowledge. these biological ressources are being used for medical, agricultural and cosmetic means. in most cases there is no hint or information about committments about sharing of profits. some of the patents used are also questionable, to say the least.

the author of the study, jay mcgown, said in his introduction: "as long as members of the cbd don't solve the problems of taking action and profit sharing, the piracy will go on. there has to be a complete stop until a protocol is finished and set to action." mariam mayet, the boss of the african centre for biosafety said: "in only one month of searching various databases including the website of the US patent office we found all these cases from the whole african continent. it was shocing to see how many patents were given away and being used."

there wre also five cases of possible biopiracy in egypt mentioned in the study. studies like these woul enhance the imminence of legal committments to stop biopiracy. developed countries and their pharmaceutical, agricultural and biotechnological industries are strictly against including derivates into these international protocols. beth burrows, president of the edmonds institute described the study as "a litany of cases of suspicious purchases of biodiversity". one of the younger and better known cases of biopiracy is about hoodia, an appetite blocker which derives its profit from the traditional knowledge ogf the san-people in south africa.

after hoodia was developed and patented by the south african council for scientific and industrial research (csir), the exclusive rights were sold to a british company. only after a global outcry a minimal part of the licencing fees were attributed to the san in form of a company.

"if you take a look at what has been taken from africa in the younger history, you'll see it runs through the whole range of using biodiversity for medicine, agriculture, horticulture, cosmetics up to industrial means" says miriam mayet. burrows adds: "it is not easy to prove biopiracy. were contracts aren't published and national ruling for sharing of profits possibly don't exist, it is hard to prove the theft, even if you catch the thueves with the bounty in their hands or among their patents."

developing countries are adressing this issue on two more forums: the WTO (world trade organisation) where they demand the TRIPS agreement (agreement on trade concerned issues of copyright) to be interpreted in the meaning of a duty to note the source of genetic ressources and to prove the agreement and profit sharing, and at the wipo (worl organisation for copyrights), were they demand to include these matters in a materialistic agreement on patents. [end of full text]

***end of transmission***