The value of information

It seems that entrepreneurs in the west have capitalized on medical discoveries and teachings from ancient India without giving much credit to the source. That shall be no more. As a result of this 'piracy', the Indian government has undertaken a significant effort towards putting all available information in the public domain in a number of 'western' languages (English, Spanish, French and German) and Japanese. The information obviously had already been documented (in old 'textbooks") but it has existed mostly in Sanskrit, Arabic, Tamil, Persian and Hindi -- none of the languages or media pertinent for the European or US Patent Offices.

So now begins the task of putting all of this information in a database. No one will be able to call any of it their 'own' and capitalize on it. One estimate suggests that 80% of the previously awarded patents in US on medical plants originated out of these teachings.

I applaud the effort by a society and government to protect their IP. But knowledge itself has little value. We have tons of it and we are constantly creating more and more of it in all forms. I believe that productizing, packaging, marketing, selling and building successful businesses out of this knowledge comprises the remaining 99.9933% of the effort. Hopefully, the government of India will also invest in making the locals succeed in becoming successful entrepreneurs in the same way as many have become in the west out of this 'gold mine' of medical data. Why not! alternatively medicine is on an upswing.

For more, read  India hits back in 'bio-piracy' battle

Sanjiva, Orinda, Dec 9, 2005