Traditional Knowledge And Scope For Patent Protection

Traditional Knowledge

Traditional Knowledge (TK) is the awareness, experience, expertise, knowledge and applications that are established, continued, performed and passed on from generation to generation within a region or community, often forming a part of its cultural, social or spiritual identity. TK can be attributed to in a wide variety of contexts, viz. agricultural, scientific, technical, ecological and medicinal knowledge as well as biodiversity-related knowledge.

TK is mostly undocumented and typically inherited via word of mouth.

Examples are as follows:

• Use of turmeric (Curcuma longa) for medicinal purposes.
• Use of ashwagandha (Withania sominifera) to treat heart related ailments.