Journal of Intellectual Property Rights

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Ensuring Disclosure of Origin of Genetic Resources in Patent Applications: Indonesia’s efforts to Combat Biopiracy


Affiliations
1 Department of Private Law, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
2 Department of Indonesian Studies, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
 

As a country of mega biodiversity, Indonesia is also vulnerable to biopiracy target. To prevent biopiracy, it is crucial to protect the country’s genetic resources. In order to protect genetic resources and to prevent biopiracy, Indonesia has included the requirement of Disclosure of Origin (DO) in The Indonesian Patents Act, 2016 by imposing patent applicants to disclose the origins of genetic resources in Patent application. This paper critically analyses the Patents Act to highlight key issues that undermine the country’s efforts to combat biopiracy. The principal findings are that there are significant problems with implementing DO provisions of the Act in the fight against bio piracy. The effectiveness of the legislation remains questionable and some important sections of the Act lack clarity. The purported regulatory framework under the Act to enforce DO and to help deal with biopiracy is ill defined and human resources are inadequate. The paper concludes that to combat biopiracy effectively Indonesia needs to review its legislative and institutional framework on DO and consider establishing a National Anti-Biopiracy Commission.

Keywords

Patents, Disclosure of Origin, Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, The Indonesian Patents Act, 2016, Indonesian Economy, Biodiversity, UPOV Convention, 1991, Indonesian Plant Variety Protection Act, 2000, Convention on Biological Diversity, genetic resources, biopiracy, UPOV Convention 1991, National Anti Biopiracy Commission of Peru.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Harword et al., Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture: Opportunities and challenges emerging from the science and information technology revolution, New Phytologist, 217 (4) (2018), 1407-14019.

  • The general attitude of developing countries to intellectual property and the TRIPS Agreement, The detailed report by Nathan Associates Inc. submitted to USAid: Intellectual Property and Developing Countries: An Overview (2003), https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=446296 (accessed on 12 December 2019).

  • There are several definitions of and theories on biopiracy. Robinson D F, Confronting Biopiracy: Challenges, Cases and International Debates (Earthscan), 2010; Ikechi M, Global Biopiracy: Patents, Plants, and Indigenous Knowledge (UBC Press), 2006; Vandana S, Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge (South End Press), 1997.

  • European Patent Office, ASEAN: Amendment of the Indonesian Patent Law https://www.epo.org/searching-forpatents/helpful-resources/asian/asiaupdates/2017/20170217.html (accessed on 27 December 2019).

  • Comments of Deputy Minister of Environmental, Degradation Control and Climate Change. The Fifth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Jakarta (2014).

  • FAO, Country Report on The State of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture: Indonesia, http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1500e/Indonesia.pdf (accessed on 11 January 2020).

  • Rahmah M, The Protection of Agricultural Products under Geographical Indication: An Alternative Tool for Agricultural Development in Indonesia, Journal of Intellectual Property Rights, 22 (March 2017) 90-103.

  • Rahmah M, Promoting Geographical Indications for Agricultural Products in Indonesia, in Taubman A, et.al., WIPO-WTO Colloquium Papers: 2017 Asian Edition, Research Papers From The 2017 Regional WIPO-WTO Colloquium For IP Teachers And Scholars In Asia, (WIPOWTO), 2017.

  • FAO, Rome Declaration on World Food Security, http://www.fao.org/3/w3613e/w3613e00.htm (accessed on 11 January 2020).

  • Article 1.4 of Indonesian Food Act of 2012.

  • Subejo P D, Tackling Food Security Problem in Indonesia, Jakarta Pos, 26 November 2013.

  • Correa C et al., TRIPS-Related Patent Flexibilities and Food Security: Options for Developing Countries, Policy Guide, QUNO-ICTSD, (2012).

  • Mgbeoji I, Global Biopiracy: Patents, Plants and Indigenous Knowledge, (UBC Press), 2006.

  • Feng W, Appropriation without benefit-sharing: Origin-of resource disclosure requirements and enforcement under TRIPS and the Nagoya Protocol, Chicago Journal of International Law, 18 (1) (2012) 248-286.

  • Dutfield G, Thinking Aloud on Disclosure of Origin, QUNO Occasional Paper 18, Quaker International Affairs Program and Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), (October 2005).

  • Shiva V, Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge (South End Press), 1997.

  • Correa C, Sovereign and property rights over plant genetic resource, Agriculture and Human Values, 12 (4) (September 1995) 58-79.

  • Robinson D, Confronting Biopiracy: Challenges, Cases, and International Debates, (Routledge), 2010.

  • Ugas R, Policy development in the organic movement, Leisa Magazine, 21 (4) (2005), http://ileia.fourdigits.n l/magazines/global/practice-and-policy/policy-developmentintheorganic-movement.

  • Ganguli P, Intellectual Property Rights: Unleasing The Knowledge, (Tata McGraw Hill), (2001).

  • Metha H, Indonesia Strengthens Laws Against Biopirates, New Patent Law introduces several new provisions to protect local genetic resources and rewards for inventors, https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/opinion/indonesiastrengthenslaws-against-biopirates (accessed on 10 December 2019).

  • Dwyer L, Biopiracy, trade, and sustainable development, Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law and Policy, 19 (2008) 226–27.

  • Conforto D, Traditional and modern-day biopiracy: Redefining the biopiracy debate, Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation, 19 (2) (2004) 358-397.

  • Robinson D, Confronting Biopiracy: Challenges, Cases, and International Debates, (Routledge), 2010, 12.

  • Robinson D, Confronting Biopiracy: Challenges, Cases, and International Debates, (Routledge), 2010, 11.

  • Hamilton C, Biodiversity, Biopiracy and benefits: What Allegations of Biopiracy tell us about Intellectual Property, (Blackwell Publishing), cited in Sayan Bhattacharya, Bioprospecting, biopiracy and food security in India: The emerging sides of neo liberalism, International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, 23 (2014) 49-56.

  • Medaglia J C, The Disclosure of Origin Requirement in Central America: Legal Texts, Practical Experience and Implementation Challenges, Issue Paper No. 3, (June 2010).

  • UNEP/CBD/COP/6/20, Para 3 and Annex, http://www.biodiv.org/doc/decisions/COP-06-dec-en.pdfH.

  • UNEP/CBD/COP/6/20, Decision VI-24.C. and Paras 1, 2, http://www.biodiv.org/doc/decisions/COP-06-dec-en.pdfH.

  • CBD, COP 7 Decision VII/19, Access and Benefit Sharing as related to Genetic Resources (Article 15) https://www.cbd.in t/decision/cop/?id=7756 (accessed on 12 January 2020).

  • UNEP/CBD/COP/6/20, Decision VI-24. C, Para. 4, UNEP/CBD/COP/6/20.

  • Correa C, The Politics and Practicalities of a Disclosure of Origin Obligation, Occasional Paper 16, Quaker United Nations Office, (January 2005).

  • Submission of Brazil, India, Pakistan, Peru, Thailand, and Venezuela, IP/C/W/429, (September 21), 2004.

  • Paraskevi K, Disclosure of Origin in Patent Law: How to Enforce it Best?, MIPLC Master Thesis, (2012), http://www.miplc.de/research/ , SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abs tract=2407321.

  • Correa C M, Establishing a disclosure of origin obligation in the TRIPS Agreement, Occasional Paper 12, Quaker United Nations Office, (August 2003).

  • UNCTAD, Disclosure of Origin/Source and Legal Provenance, https://unctad .org/en/Publicat ionChapters/diaepcb2014d3_ch3_en.pdf (accessed on 10 January 2020).

  • Staeng’s Patent [1996] RPC 183.

  • WIPO, Technical study on patents disclosure requirements related to genetic resources and traditional knowledge, https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/tk/786/wipo_pub_78 .pdf (accessed on 28 December 2019).

  • Kamau E C, Sovereignty over genetic resources: Right to regulate access in a balance, the case of Kenya, Revista Internacional de Direito e Cidadania, 2 (2009) 73-88.

  • FAO, Resolution 8/83: International Undertaking On Plant Genetic Resources. http://www.fao.org/wiews-archive/docs/Resolution_8_83.pdf (accessed on 11 January 2020).

  • FAO, International code of conduct for plant germplasm collecting and transfer http://www.fao.org/3/x5586e/x5586e 0k.htm (assessed on 12 January 2020).

  • Mugabe J et al. (ed.), Access to genetic resources, (ACTS Press), 1997.

  • Nicholas H, Indonesia steps up fight against biopiracy, https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/03/20/ri-steps-up-fight -agai nst- biopiracy.html (accessed on 11 January 2020).

  • Ompusunggu M, Indonesia steps up fight against biopiracy, The Jakarta Post, (20 March), 2017, http://www.thejakart apost.com/news/2017/03/20/ri-steps-up-fight-againstbiopiracy.html (accessed on 11 January 2020).

  • https://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/cbd-bonn-gdls-en.pdf (accessed on 11 January 2020).

  • Dutfield G, Thinking aloud on disclosure of origin, QUNO Occasional Paper 18, Quaker International Affairs Program and Quaker United Nation Office (QUNO), October 2005.

  • Article 5.1 of UPOV Convention 1991.

  • Article 58.1 states that Minister shall approve the application, if based on the result of the substantive examination, the invention which is filed for a Patent complies with the provisions referred to in Article 54.

  • The Directorate General of Intellectual Property is the national IP office which has the authority to administer and develop Indonesian IP system. The DGIP is government institution operating under the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.

  • Morinville P, Bad Patents: Are they Just Another Big Tech False Narrative? https://www.ipwatchdog.com/2019/03/29/bad-patents-are-just -another-big-tech-false-narrative/id= 107 819/.

  • Medaglia J C, The disclosure of origin requirement in Central America: Legal texts, practical experience and implementation challenges, Issue Paper No. 3, (June 2010).

  • Oldham P D & Burton G, Defusing Disclosure in Patent Applications, (20 October 2010), https://ssrn.com/abstrac t=1694899 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1694899 (accessed on 27 December 2019).

  • Biodiversity.fi., What are genetic resources?https://www.biodiversity.fi/geneticresources/genetic-resource s/what-are- genetic-resources (accessed on 11 January 2019).

  • Lexology, Patents in Switzerland, https://www.lexolo gy.com/library/detail.aspx?g=793c0e66-67b2-4fb7-83d7ccf2 af79b2d5 (accessed on 27 December 2019).

  • Brinckmann J, Peruvian Maca and allegations of biopiracy, HerbalGram, American Botanical Council, 75 (2007) 44-53.


Abstract Views: 204

PDF Views: 134




  • Ensuring Disclosure of Origin of Genetic Resources in Patent Applications: Indonesia’s efforts to Combat Biopiracy

Abstract Views: 204  |  PDF Views: 134

Authors

Mas Rahmah
Department of Private Law, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
Nurul Barizah
Department of Private Law, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
Sam Blay
Department of Indonesian Studies, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

Abstract


As a country of mega biodiversity, Indonesia is also vulnerable to biopiracy target. To prevent biopiracy, it is crucial to protect the country’s genetic resources. In order to protect genetic resources and to prevent biopiracy, Indonesia has included the requirement of Disclosure of Origin (DO) in The Indonesian Patents Act, 2016 by imposing patent applicants to disclose the origins of genetic resources in Patent application. This paper critically analyses the Patents Act to highlight key issues that undermine the country’s efforts to combat biopiracy. The principal findings are that there are significant problems with implementing DO provisions of the Act in the fight against bio piracy. The effectiveness of the legislation remains questionable and some important sections of the Act lack clarity. The purported regulatory framework under the Act to enforce DO and to help deal with biopiracy is ill defined and human resources are inadequate. The paper concludes that to combat biopiracy effectively Indonesia needs to review its legislative and institutional framework on DO and consider establishing a National Anti-Biopiracy Commission.

Keywords


Patents, Disclosure of Origin, Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, The Indonesian Patents Act, 2016, Indonesian Economy, Biodiversity, UPOV Convention, 1991, Indonesian Plant Variety Protection Act, 2000, Convention on Biological Diversity, genetic resources, biopiracy, UPOV Convention 1991, National Anti Biopiracy Commission of Peru.

References