“ … Since 2001, an interdisciplinary team of 100 experts in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Information Technology, Intellectual Property Rights, scientists and classification experts have been engaged in the [TKDL] project. The team has been able to create a 24 Million pages database in five international languages (English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese). TKDL technology thus created permits highly unstructured Traditional Knowledge documentation to be converted into structural digital database. Using this technology, in one working day, a Traditional Knowledge expert is able to convert and create 600-700 pages of information into five international languages along with the conversion of terminology.”
“TKDL has provided India a global leadership position in the area of Traditional Knowledge & Intellectual Property Right. It is for this reason that several countries have sought India’s support in establishing similar systems for themselves. Some of the countries that have shown keen interest are: Republic of South Korea, Thailand, South Africa, Mangolia, Cambodia, Nigeria, African Regional Industrial Property Office, SAARC member states, etc. TKDL initiative has also been fully recognized by international organizations such as WIPO, WHO, UNESCO, etc. for documentation of traditional medicine systems and Intangible Cultural Heritage. International and national media have done extensive coverage on TKDL and the project has been covered by reputed international magazines such as Time, Nature, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, BBC and several other electronic channels and the print media. TKDL also has immense potential for creating new Intellectual Property through collaborative research and providing affordable medicines for all, in particular for developing countries.
Sourced from: Government of India’s Press Information Bureau,
16 Jan. 2007 Press Release entitled
“PATENT -- THE TRADITIONAL MEDICINES – A DIFFICULT TASK?
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“Patents are granted on meeting successfully the conditions of non-obviousness, novelty (prior art) and industrial use. For grant of patents based on Traditional Knowledge and associated biological resources, developing countries, for past several years, have been asking for the inclusion of disclosure requirements related to (i) Indication of source of origin; (ii) prior informed consent of the holder(s) of knowledge: and (iii) evidence of benefit sharing. However, so far there has not been any encouraging sign of success either at TRIPS (Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights) Council/World Trade Organisation (WTO), World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) or at Convention on biological diversity (CBD).”
