Biopiracy

Welcome to the Biopiracy Project blog

Using many information’s sources and joining them here, our intention is to show a crime that has prejudiced not only the economy, but also brazilian people. So they are not only marketing our animals and plants, but our culture and principles.

Biopiracy refers to the monopolization of genetic resources such as seeds and genes taken from the peoples or farming communities that have nurtured those resources. It also refers to the theft of traditional knowledge from those cultures.

Today the main source of biopiracy occurs by corporations, academic institutes and governments claiming intellectual property over genetic resources - patents on life (eg gene patents) or claiming plant breeders rights. The introduction of new biotechnologies such as genetic engineering has facilitated a new wave of biopiracy.

With the advent of nanotechnology ownership of nature has now reached a more fundamental level. As well as gene sequences, nanopirates are claiming ownership of the molecules and even the elements that everything is made from.

Meanwhile the culture industry has been commercially exploiting the art, culture, language and symbols of indigenous cultures - often claiming trademarks on knowledge which they have stolen.

For some Biopiracy only refers to the unauthorised and illegal theft of knowledge and resources, claiming that legal bioprospecting agreements can be worked out to share commercial benefits. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) takes the view that agreements can be made on "access and benefit sharing" to overcome biopiracy. Many Indigenous groups disagree:

"Contractual benefit sharing is like waking up in the middle of the night to find your house being robbed. On the way out the door, the thieves tell you not to worry because they promise to give you a share of whatever profit they make selling what used to belong to you." - Alejandro Argumedo, Quechua activis.