Volume 1, #3 Declaring the Benefits
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Who benefits from agricultural biodiversity that originates in the farms, fields and forests of the South? A 14 page document.
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Who benefits from agricultural biodiversity that originates in the farms, fields and forests of the South? A 14 page document.
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One of the most eagerly awaited publications in the plant genetic resources (PGR) community. - Diversity 1994, 10(2), 25
The recent GATT agreement and the Biodiversity Convention have moved intellectual property rights to the centre of South-North relations.
Decisions about intellectual property, particularly for plant life, have major implications for food security, agriculture, rural development, and the environment for every country in the South and the North. For the South, in particular, the impact of intellectual property on farmers, rural societies, and biological diversity will be profoundly important.
* Patents granted for genetically engineered cotton could profoundly influence the future of a $20 billion crop critical to many national economies in the South.
* Farmers' organizations in Andean countries believe that patents granted for two varieties of coloured cotton do not recognize the major contribution to the new product by indigenous communities in South and Central America.
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Submitted by ETC Group on
Submitted by ETC Staff on
With the advent of new biotechnologies and the emergence of new international agreements, microbial genetic resources are taking on growing importance in North/South negotiations. A 51 page document.
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ISSUE: Despite international controversy over the patenting of human genes and other life forms, US-based genomic companies (in partnership with major pharmaceutical corporations), are filing patents for exclusive monopoly control on human genes and gene fragments.
IMPACT: The commercial potential of genomic technologies is still untested and unproved. But the commodification of human genetic material raises many profound questions: Who will control the genes and genetic information that may someday unlock secrets to genetic diagnosis and treatment of human diseases? Will the patent grab on human genes ultimately thwart innovation as well as information exchange between public and private sector researchers, and between North and South? Who will benefit, and at what cost to society?
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ISSUE: On March 2, 1994 Agracetus, Inc. (a subsidiary of W.R. Grace & Co.) received a European Patent on all transgenic soybean varieties. The company has a similar patent pending in the USA. In addition, Agracetus has a world patent (WIPO) pending for genetic transformation of rice.
IMPACT: Sweeping patent claims on all transgenic soybeans, a previous patent on all transgenic cotton, and a portfolio of patents pending on other major crops--(rice, groundnuts, maize and more) give W.R. Grace legal monopolies and exclusive control over any genetically engineered variety of soybeans and cotton for the life of the patent. A major chemical corporation is thus positioned to control the direction of future biotechnology research on two of the world's major food and industrial crops. These shocking examples of species-wide" patent claims confirm that the intellectual property system as applied to biotechnology products and processes is out of control, posing a serious threat to global food security and the well-being of small farmers.
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RAFI presents data from dozens of scientific and trade journals to illustrate the enormous contribution made by farmers and indigenous peoples in the South to the wellbeing of Northern citizens, and/or the economic benefit to industry in the North. A 14 page document.
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Issue: In the 1980's US court decisions set international precedent for the patenting of human genetical material. As a result, exclusive monopolies over human genetic materials are becoming commonplace in the industrialized world, without discussion of the social, ethical and political implications. Perhaps most disturbing is the degree to which orinary citizens, both North and South, have been marginalized from discussion and debate on the patenting of human genetic material.
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-Human Genome Diversity Project
-Rubber
-Castor Oil
-Pyrethrum
-US Patents Awarded on Materials Derived from African Plants: Monelli0n and Thaumatin
-Endod
-Citrus
-Bovine Growth Hormone
-Genetically Engineered Human Milk Proteins
-Bio-Piracy and Neem
-Who Owns Bt and
-Potato Blight
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Patent-like claims on two coloured cotton varieties raise many questions and concerns about the ownership and control of coloured cotton, and the lack of compensation for indigenous knowledge and germplasm from the South.
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Agracetus, a subsidiary of W.R. Grace, receives a shockingly broad US patent covering all genetically engineered cotton varieties. This is the first reported case where one patent covers all transgenic plants of an entire species.
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Genpharm claims that its bio-engineered human proteins have the potential to make infant formula more "nutritionally complete." Will infant formula manufacturers revive unethical marketing practices that have led to death and illness for millions of children in the Third World?
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RAFI warns that the Human Genome Diversity Project's outrageous proposal to collect human DNA from 722 communities around the world has serious implications for indigenous peoples. Will profits be made from the genes of poor people whose physical survival is in question? Who will have access and what benefits will accrue to indigenous communities?
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The University of Toledo applies for a patent on Ethiopia's Endod to control zebra mussels, but royalties will not go to the plant's original innovators.
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A backgrounder on rice biotechnology and the public and private efforts to engineer the world's most important food crop.
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Three new developments in potato production:
- True potato seed
- Rapid multiplication technologies for seed potatoes
- Genetic engineering for potatoes
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Submitted by ETC Staff on
Research on genetic engineering of Pyrethrins, the insecticidal compounds derived from the pyrethrum flower (Chrysanthemum spp.) . A US based biotechnology company seeks to produce "unlimited supplies of pyrethrin" in the laboratory.
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RAFI takes a look at early R&D in genetic modification of maize, including the financial stakes and major players, goals of transformation, and prospects for commercialization.
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