If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy for review by the Bridges staff to Malena Sell at msell@ictsd.ch.
THE REGULATORY CHALLENGE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY: HUMAN GENETICS, FOOD AND PATENTS. Edited by Han Somsen (Edward Elgar, 2007). The book opens with two chapters that set out some general perspectives and themes on the regulation of biotechnology. Following the opening chapters, the book is divided into three distinct parts: human genetics, GMOs and agricultural biotechnology and the regulation of biotechnology through the patent system. The book sets forth primary objections of the public to the patenting of biological material raises the dominant issue of the role of patenting as a control or influence in the shaping of the moral and ethical dimensions arising from the application of genetic technologies. For further information seehttp://www.law.ed.ac.uk/ahrc/script-ed/vol4-4/kg_review.asp
GMOS IN AFRICA: FOOD AND AGRICULTURE STATUS REPORT 2007. By Shenaz Moola and Victor Munnik (African Centre for Biosafety, December 2007). This book is the fourth in ACB’s Bio-safety, Bio-politics and Bio-piracy Series. It provides an overview of the current status of GMOs in Africa’s agriculture and food systems, including a synopsis of the overall current situation in Africa, an analysis of the key issues and trends, regional overviews and country by country status reports. The book is available at http://www.biosafetyafrica.net/portal/images/ACB/gmos_in_africa.pdf
BIO-PIRACY: IMITATIONS NOT INNOVATIONS. By Suman Sahai, Prasmi Pavithran and Indrani Barpujari (Gene Campaign, New Delhi, 2007). Referred to as Indigenous Knowledge or IK, this knowledge is actually a highly sophisticated technology and has been the mainstay of survival of communities especially in the key sectors of food and health. Biodiversity, and the indigenous knowledge associated with it, is a special strength of the local communities that are found in today’s developing countries. The text of the book will help appreciate the need for a change in the current intellectual property rights regime at the national and international level as the current system is turning into a tool for the unjust exploitation of bio-resources and associated IK of the rural and indigenous communities. To access the publication, visithttp://www.genecampaign.org/Publication/FreePublication/Biopiracy-imitations-not-innovations2.pdf