June 11, 2000 – For six years, the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology (RFSTE) and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement fought to prevent neem (Azaridachta indica, syn. Melia azaridachta, in English neem tree) is the subject of a patent by the American multinational WR Grace and the United States Department of Agriculture. And on May 10, the European Patent Office revoked the patent previously granted to the multinational and the US government for a fungicide derived from neem seeds.
For RFSTE and IFOAM, this was an obvious case of bio-piracy, whereby communities were deprived of the right to use a product that was part of their tradition. According to Professor Wangari Maathai of the Green Belt Movement, an African grassroots organization fighting for reforestation, Third World governments and research laboratories have worked closely together to grant these rights to multinationals, thereby depriving local communities the right to use resources essential to their well-being.
In practice, in the case of neem, the patent meant that Third World countries no longer had the right to make medical research from the plant or to use it for curative purposes even if their populations had declined. have always been used to treat several diseases.
“How could the US government and WR Grace claim to have invented something when it has been in the public domain for centuries and studied scientifically for decades,” asked Dr Vandana Shiva, director of RFSTE. “We hope this victory marks a turning point in all causes of bio-piracy. ”
The revocation of the neem patent will have implications for TRIP (Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights) and for farmers by upholding the rights related to traditional practices of indigenous communities against false claims to discovery and innovation by private companies. .
HealthPassport.net
Source: All Africa News Agency, May 22, 2000
