Biological property rights need protection
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)