“Biopiracy” is a term, originally attributed to the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) (Mooney 1993), that refers “either to the unauthorized extraction of biological resources and/or associated traditional knowledge from developing countries, or to the patenting of spurious “inventions” based on such knowledge or resources without compensation” (Robinson 2010: 20). While inflammatory, the term encapsulates a complex and fraught debate about the relationship between developed and developing countries, the notion of shared heritage and who “owns” natural resources.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781444367072.wbiee660/abstract?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+have+be+unavailable+on+Saturday+5th+December+from+10%3A00-14%3A00+GMT+%2F+05%3A00-09%3A00+EST+%2F+18%3A00-22%3A00+SGT+for+essential+maintenance.+Apologies+for+the+inconvenience.

This is an interesting question Dr. Mitra.

Yes indeed, it affects a nation both ethically and economically. Biopiracy commercially exploits indigenous biochemical and genetic materials while at the same time fails to acknowledge or compensate the people who actually owned/discovered them. Greater harm is done when such exploitations are restricted by patents for future use, while at the same time, depriving those (community/nation or people) from where it originated. Communities should have certain rights to their own indigenous processes and materials, biochemical or genetic.

 Products of innovation and research comes at a cost (time, human resources, and knowledge resources) which adds significantly to the intellectual and economic wealth of nations. Piracy rips off a nation and its people from any future gain meant to be procured from such original inventions or processes. Indigenous inventions and resources must be covered and protected from all means of piracy. Biopiracy also rips off a nation's claim to invention and discovery of new species, process, methods, and practices. One does the research and invents something, while the real profits are gained by others-or say, the so called "bio-pirates'. 

Best Regards, Sidharta 

Bio-piracy occurs when multinational companies make billions of dollars by claiming intellectual property rights to traditional knowledge and plant genetic resources. 

http://www.isca.in/IJENS/Archive/v4/i9/15.ISCA-IRJEvS-2015-145.pdf

“Biopiracy” has emerged as a term to describe the ways that corporations from the developed world claim ownership of, free ride on, or otherwise take unfair advantage of, the genetic resources and traditional knowledge and technologies of developing countries.

While these and other corporations have been complaining about “intellectual piracy” perpetrated by people in developing countries, the latter nations counter that their biological, scientific and cultural assets are being “pirated” by these same businesses.

Genetic Resource Biopiracy -- Collection and use:

• The unauthorised extraction and use of widespread resources

• The unauthorised extraction and use of resources that can be found in one location

• The unauthorised extraction and export of resources in breach of ABS regulations of the relevant country

• The unauthorised extraction and export of resources in countries lacking ABS regulations

• The authorised extraction of resources on the basis of a transaction deemed to be exploitative

• The authorised extraction of resources on the basis of a conviction that all such transactions are inherently exploitative

http://moderncms.ecosystemmarketplace.com/repository/moderncms_documents/I.3.pdf

Those countries most affected by biopiracy are the most biodiverse. My country has been traditionally one of the targets of biopiracy, a global illegal enterprise that literally steals animals, plants, know-how, genetic maps, and many other cultural, natural and genetic assets.

Unfortunately, around the world the legal mechanisms are not as strong as in many other cases. The most recent of these acts of biopiracy is from a French woman who patented the know-how of producing wool Oaxacan (in Mexico) clothes, and pretends to own and sell that know-how.

Dear Abhijit Mitra,

A crime is just what is forbidden by criminal law under threat of punishment. Biopiracy is not a criminal offense, because it's beneficial to someone. The act of biopiracy violates the principles protected by the document.

UNCTAD should provide leadership and capacity in the establishment of sui generis systems based on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in order to protect community rights over resources and the strengthening of national laws against biopiracy.

This trend, commonly termed "bio-piracy", threatens to rob the youth of today and future generations of the right to this knowledge.

Best regards, Shafagat

“Biopiracy” is a term, originally attributed to the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) (Mooney 1993), that refers “either to the unauthorized extraction of biological resources and/or associated traditional knowledge from developing countries, or to the patenting of spurious “inventions” based on such knowledge or resources without compensation” (Robinson 2010: 20). While inflammatory, the term encapsulates a complex and fraught debate about the relationship between developed and developing countries, the notion of shared heritage and who “owns” natural resources.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781444367072.wbiee660/abstract?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+have+be+unavailable+on+Saturday+5th+December+from+10%3A00-14%3A00+GMT+%2F+05%3A00-09%3A00+EST+%2F+18%3A00-22%3A00+SGT+for+essential+maintenance.+Apologies+for+the+inconvenience.

Ivo Carneiro de Sousa, enclosed as required,  the link downloaded and attached as a file  - Gupta Avantika et all (2015), Bio-piracy in India: A Decline in Cultural Values, International Research Journal of Environment Sciences, ISSN 2319–1414, Vol. 4(9), 80-82, September (2015) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci.International Science Congress Association 80 Review Paper