National Centre for Management Development in Agriculture and Rural Development Banking, # 67, Padmanabhanagar, Banashankari, 2nd Stage, Bangalore, 560 070, India. E-mail:natcen@bgl.vsnl.net.in; nandeeshvh@hotmail.com
*Based on a paper presented at National Seminar on Information Policies and Cyber Laws, 4–6 Dec. 2000, Organized by Sarada Ranganathan Edowment for Library Science, Bangalore.
The present Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regime has generated sharp debate and controversies world wide because of its increasing global harmonization and extension of granting of patents over living organisms and biological resources. Several factors have contributed for the debate and they primarily relate to the expansion of bio-technology industry especially by amalgamation of agri-business, pharmaceuticals and chemical industries. A provision in the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement which requires member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to patent living organisms - plants, animals, micro organisms, human genes etc. It has several implications of IPR over biological resources for developing countries. This paper discusses those issues on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), R&D, technology transfer in seed industry including Bt crops, health care system and services, industry- institute tie up etc. by giving an update on the developments in IPR with special emphasis on the concerns of the developing countries. The Indian issues, policies and realities are dealt with in some detail.
