Author Information
Author: Chidi Oguamanam
Affiliation: Law and Technology Institute, Dalhousie Law School, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Paper Details
Title: Patents and Traditional Medicine: Digital Capture, Creative Legal Interventions, and the Dialectics of Knowledge Transformation
Author: Chidi Oguamanam
Journal: Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies
Volume: 15
Issue: 2 (Summer 2008)
Publisher: Indiana University School of Law
Overview
This article examines the relationship between traditional medicinal knowledge and the global intellectual property system. It explores how developing countries are adopting new legal and policy strategies to protect indigenous knowledge, particularly through digital documentation, patent reforms, and disclosure requirements.
Main Areas Discussed
- Traditional medicine and intellectual property
- Indigenous knowledge protection
- Digital documentation of traditional knowledge
- Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL)
- Disclosure of origin requirements
- Geographical indications and traditional knowledge
- Patent system limitations for indigenous knowledge
Key Themes
- Traditional knowledge protection
- Intellectual property and indigenous knowledge
- Patent system reform
- Biopiracy and access to genetic resources
- Developing country strategies for knowledge protection
About the Article
The article argues that traditional knowledge and modern intellectual property systems are increasingly interacting. It highlights how developing countries are using creative legal approaches, including digitization and patent reforms, to protect indigenous medicinal knowledge and address biopiracy.
Suggested Citation
Oguamanam, Chidi
Patents and Traditional Medicine: Digital Capture, Creative Legal Interventions, and the Dialectics of Knowledge Transformation
Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, Vol. 15, No. 2 (2008)
