TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE: A MOVEMENT FROM COMMONS TOWARDS PRIVATIZATION

Property resources were the main focus of the developed world in the past and knowledge or information resources remained outside the grab of property claims. However, in the due course of time, particularly in the last decade, the developed world realized the importance and potential of Traditional Knowledge (TK) as a worthy resource for creation of intellectual property. The developed countries tried to acquire the knowledge and genetic resources by defrauding the traditional communities under the garb of research expeditions or by use of force. This resulted in bio-piracy and one-way flow of genetic resources and traditional knowledge. Now the WEST is engaged in misappropriating the TK wealth of the developing world, where the traditional communities are largely unaware of misappropriation. While doing so, the West is neither acknowledging the traditional communities nor sharing any benefit with them. The debate relating to misappropriation of traditional knowledge has raised a number of important issues, which needs to be addressed in a proper way. Against this backdrop, this research paper seeks to consider the conflicting claims of the traditional knowledge holders and the innovators who create intellectual property which has ultimately led to the movement of traditional knowledge from a common property resource to privatization.