AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

AAAS Project on Traditional Ecological Knowledge

In October 2002, the Science & Human Rights Program launched a new project exploring the intersection between traditional knowledge, intellectual property, and human rights. The goals of the project include:

• Exploring the role of the public domain as it applies to TK,
• Examining issues affecting TK relating to the current intellectual property regime, and
• Identifying and applying intellectual property options available to traditional knowledge holders

Project overview:

• Making the Connection: Science, Human Rights, and Traditional Knowledge

New:

• Traditional Knowedge and Intellectual Property: A Handbook on Issues and Options for Traditional Knowledge Holders in Protecting their Intellectual Property and Maintaining Biological Diversity
  AAAS has created this handbook to make intellectual property protection options more understandable and readily available for traditional knowledge holders.
• Human Rights Dialogue: Making Human Rights Work in a Globalizing World features an article by AAAS staff member Justin Van Fleet on protecting the rights of indigenous knowledge holders.
• Stephen Hansen and Justin VanFleet were interviewed by BBC radio for Go Digital, the weekly BBC World Service program that looks at how technology is changing our lives. Listen to the broadcast.
• BBC News World Edition ran a feature article on T.E.K.* P.A.D., entitled "Healing Powers Go Online."

Current project activities:

• Traditional Ecological Knowledge Prior Art Database (T.E.K.*P.A.D.)
• Your Traditional Knowledge and Biological Resources: A Handbook
• Other project activities

This project has been funded in part by The Center for the Public Domain and the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund.