Protecting Traditional Knowledge under Trips: Prayer of the developing world

Abstract

This paper tries to show if there is any way of protecting traditional knowledge in the current modern system of intellectual property protection. Protection of works of the mind is currently being rendered in national and international legal regimes. Among the international organizations with primary responsibility of protecting intellectual property, we found WIPO and WTO as major structures. Most of the world trade which flows through WTO channel is found to be protected in the trade related intellectual property agreement (TRIPs). Communities in developing countries and some developed world have been living for centuries depending on their tradition and customs. These traditions are ways of their day- to-day activity and have reached their current generation through a prolonged transfer from their fore-fathers. They are endowed with traditional knowledge with potential of solving various problems, but the problem is their knowledge has been easily taken away by the free trade spirit and they are not benefiting from their property.