Lok Sabha Question No. 4027 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-23
Subject: Traditional Knowledge Digital Library
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: PRALHAD VENKATESH JOSHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## DEPARTMENT OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4027

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.12.2015)

## TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE DIGITAL LIBRARY

4027.  SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to open the access of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) to researchers;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) if  not,  the reasons for the same and the manner in which researchers otherwise gather such information;
- (d) whether TKDL has prevented foreign patent offices from filing patents infringing on our traditional knowledge; and
- (e) if  so,  the  details  of  the  same including money spent on pursuing such actions during each of the last three years and the current year?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES

(SHRI Y.S. CHOWDARY)

(a),(b)&(c) No, Madam. The 'Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL)' was created with the objective to protect the country's traditional knowledge at International Patent Offices by preventing the grant of wrong patents. As per the considered decision of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in  2006,  the  access  to  TKDL  was  approved  only  for  International  Patent Offices  for  searching  the  prior  art,  under  a  Non-disclosure  International Agreement,  so  that  India's traditional knowledge is not misappropriated by securing patent(s) on traditional knowledge based products at International Patent Offices.

Contents  of  TKDL  have  been  taken  from  only  those  traditional  books  on Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha systems of medicines, which are in printed and published  form  and  are  available  for  researchers  in  open  markets  at reasonable prices.

(d)&(e)  Yes,  Madam.  TKDL  consists  of  2.93  lakh  medicinal  formulations contained  in  traditional  literature  of  Ayurveda,  Unani,  Siddha  systems  of medicine,  in  five  international  language  i.e.  English,  Spanish,  Japanese, German and French to make the prior art search in a justifiable manner for patent examiners of International Patent Offices. For facilitating the protection of Nation's traditional knowledge, CSIR has entered into International  Agreements  with  10  Countries.  Also,  CSIR  is  continuously submitting  pre-grant  oppositions  along  with  prior-art  evidences  from  TKDL w.r.t. patent applications being filed at International Patent Offices on India's traditional  knowledge.  Pursuant  to  this,  since  2009  till  date  success  has already  been  achieved  in  220  cases  wherein  patent  applications  filed  on Indian  systems  of  medicines  got  cancelled  or  were  withdrawn  by  the Applicants themselves due to evidences sent from TKDL, that too without any cost.  In  comparison APEDA had to spend more than Rs 7 crores in getting revoked  only  few  claims  of  a single Basmati rice patent. CSIR has already submitted  about  1400  pre-grant  oppositions in various International Patent Offices like European Patent Office, US Patent & Trademark Office, Canadian Patent Office, Australian Patent Office etc., and similar outcome is expected in those cases also.

The funds utilized in the project in the last three years and current year(till November,  2015)  amount  to Rs. 1312.91 lakhs (Rs. 475.69 lakh, Rs. 405.72 lakh,  Rs. 208.68 lakh and Rs. 222.82 lakh in 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15  and 2015-16 till November 2015, respectively).

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