Biological diversity is the central tenet of nature, one of its key defining features. Biodiversity is also the basis for the continuous evolution of species. This diversity is also the backbone of human societies and cultures, in terms of the ecological functions it provides and the myriad survival and livelihood it meets.
According to Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), biodiversity is “the variability among all living organisms from all sources, including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems”.
Major Concerns for Asia-Pacific Countries
Prevention of bio-piracy & misappropriation
Development of international systems of protection of TK(Traditional Knowledge).
Means for fair & equitable benefit sharing and technology transfer.
Biopiracy leading to expensive, time consuming law suits: case of Ayahuasca in Brazil, neem and turmeric in India
Domestic & regional legislation developed to protect genetic resources and associated TK but lack of enforcement at the international level.
India’s Biodiversity Act, 2002.
AIM OF INDIAN BIODIVERSITY ACT
To protect Sovereign rights of India over its biological resources.
To stop Biopiracy
To protect biodiversity in general in a holistic manner.
To regulate use of Biodiversity.
To ensure sustainable utilisation and equitable benefit sharing.
To provide legal recognition & support to the Biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge.
We possess a strong technical team consisting of legal researchers, authorized patent agents and research scientists, who with the help of our technical staff can offer a wide plethora of services in the wide & extensive field of biotechnology, bioinformatics, biodiversity and plant genomics. We provide following bio-services:
Patent protection to biotechnological inventions.
Legal requirements and administrative steps for obtaining biotech patents.
Use of digital databases for Prior Informed Consent (PIC)
Practical documentation with national biodiversity authority and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-traditional knowledge cell.
Processing of biodiversity application and drawing up benefit sharing models under Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism.
Drawing and negotiating research contracts with commercial & research partners.
Drawing up contractual agreements & access agreements for research, commercial utilization and transfer of associated knowledge.
We also offer research facility for bio-survey and bio-utilization purposes.
We have contract law experts for technology transfer agreements, technical collaborations and joint venture purposes.