Biological property rights need protection

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia needs a law to protect the intellectual property rights of traditional communities, an expert has said.

"The intellectual property rights as an aspect of 'bioprospecting' should be respected," said Tri Nugroho, a member of the Indonesian Tropical Nature Institute, at a seminar yesterday.

"Bioprospecting" is supposedly the exploration of biological diversity for commercially valuable genetic and biochemical resources.

The three-day seminar was held at the University of Indonesia in Depok, 30 km south of here.

Tri said that local communities have developed the right through generations of traditional culture.

Citing an example, Tri said that the Indonesian people have gained nothing from the imitation and reproduction of their batik by other countries.

Property rights, according to Tri, are divided into invention and scientific discovery rights, which are still being argued by advanced nations.

Tri said there are three levels of ownership; individual (conventional), local communities (exclusive) and national heritage.

He said that identifying the ownership of biological materials, processing development, local marketing, national and international markets and profit sharing or royalties are the problems that should be solved.

Tri proposed a bill on patent rights, biology conservation and biodiversity be sponsored by the government.

Indonesia should control the trade of natural materials and the strategic development of the identification, documentation and facilitation of the materials.

Jatna Supriatna, a staff member at the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation Studies of the University of Indonesia, said that intellectual property rights have not been fully implemented by the government, especially in the protection of ethnobotanical knowledge.

According to Jatna, Indonesia, which is biologically rich, should not be exploited by advanced countries.

He urged the government to regulate this matter and set up an institution on "bioprospecting".

He said institutions protecting the intellectual rights of local communities should be established.

Jatna said Indonesia should receive up-front payment and royalties for particular conservation programs from other countries.

"If possible, the communities and individuals should share the payment," he said.

Meanwhile Jaya Suprana, a jamu (herbal medicine) businessman, said he had to return to plastic packaging after a bad experience in using recycled paper.

"Using recycled paper caused a sharp decline in jamu sales," he said.

Jaya said consumers should refuse to buy products from industries which ignore the environment.

If consumers refuse to buy the products, manufacturers will have to stop producing them, Jaya asserted.

The seminar, which was closed yesterday, also discussed biotechnology, biological restoration and "biovillages".

According to the organizing committee, the next seminar will be held in Lampung in 1997. (05)