National Commission against Biopiracy identified 24 new cases of patent infringements

By Espinosa Bellido Abogados

Peru’s National Anti-Biopiracy Commission is one of the world’s leaders in the protection of genetic resources and traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples, thanks to its advanced legislation and the legal innovation regarding the matter. During 2019 the Commission identified and acted against 24 new cases of potential biopiracy in different foreign patent offices. All cases were related to biological resources of Peru: six of them have already been favorably resolved for Peru, while the rest o the country's patent oppositions are pending a resolution.

Peru is home to more than 25,000 plant species, one-third of which can only be found on Peruvian territory. A significant portion of animal species also call Peru home-about 10% of the worlds fish species, for example. This makes the country one of the most biodiverse regions of the planet.

The genetic resources and biochemicals found in microorganisms, plants and animals are essential for the research and development (R&D) that leads to scientific breakthroughs and new commercial products, especially in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and natural medicine sectors. Foreign companies and researchers have often profited from the genetic resources of plant and animal species without compensating the original owners, what many refer to as biopiracy.