2006年VOA标准英语-World Intellectual Property Organization Seekin

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
14 December 2006

Pharmaceutical¹ companies make billions of dollars from top-selling drugs. But, the communities that harbor the traditional knowledge and genetic² resources from which these drugs are made, reap few benefits. The World Intellectual Property Organization, which oversees³ patents, trademarks⁴ and copyrights, has been working for the past five years to reach an agreement that would help spread the wealth from products stemming from traditional resources. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

 
Wita, a Trio shaman of Kwamalasamutu Village, Suriname with a staff and a plant in his hands
The Amazon jungle, the forests in Africa and Asia contain many hidden treasures. Their plants, trees, and herbs provide the basis for most of the world's disease-fighting drugs and many of its cosmetic⁵ and beautifying remedies. For example, penicillin⁶ has been saving millions of peoples' lives for decades. The anti-cancer drug Taxol and the anti-malaria drug extracted from the Chinese herbal plant, Artemisin offer hope to many.

"There is quite a substantial and well documented appropriation⁷ of traditional knowledge, especially in the area of traditional medicine-what is generally called bio-prospecting," explains Usman Sarki, a minister in the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to Geneva. He says people go into the African forests in search of medicinal plants, which are then taken out of the continent and brought to Western and other countries.

"And, laboratories develop them and extract active ingredients and make useful drugs out of them without actually disclosing where this came from, without actually plowing⁸ back benefits into the community where they obtained these medicinal plants," he explained.

Sarki says developing countries are trying to curb⁹ this illegal appropriation of traditional knowledge.

"So we African countries, supported by many other developing countries and indigenous¹⁰ communities are saying that we need new rights…so that they can now have a legal protection of their traditional knowledge," he said.

 
Exotic medicines and foods gathered during worldwide travels are displayed on a cloth (file)
"With traditional knowledge, I think it is very appropriate that we find means of recognizing the contribution to humanity of traditional knowledge systems," added Francis Gurry, deputy director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization. Gurry, says traditional culture, folklore¹¹ and medicines have enriched humanity. But, finding an international solution to protecting traditional knowledge is very complex.

"It is not like the Western tradition of someone sitting up in the bath and saying 'Eureka I've discovered it.' There is a collective creativity," Gurry said. "And, for that reason, it is very difficult to know at what point the knowledge came into existence."

The intellectual property rights system awards patents and copyrights to recognized holders¹³ of inventions, of books and recordings¹⁴. This same system is difficult to apply to traditional knowledge because the legal holder¹² of the right usually cannot be identified. It might be a tribe or another traditional community.

Developing nations want a legally binding¹⁵ international treaty to protect traditional knowledge. Industrialized countries oppose this. Johnson Ole Kaunga is a Masai from Kenya. He is part of a group called IMPACT that represents herder's rights.

He says industrialized governments benefit from exploiting genetic resources. So, it would be against their interests to enact¹⁶ an international binding instrument. He says Masai has become a worldwide brand name. While others profit from their heritage, he says the Masai do not.

"The Masai want to share their heritage with others. So, the most important thing is it should not be a negative exploitation," he explained. "It should be a shared resource for all."

Kaunga says he has little faith in national legislation because governments often manipulate their laws against their own people.

"So, to me, an international binding legal agreement is very necessary and important so that where governments end up abusing or forcing their own communities to accept their national legislation or to do it forcefully, they can now have another alternative for recourse, " he said.

The World Intellectual Property Organization says it is in the interest of those that use traditional knowledge to eventually strike a deal. It says pharmaceutical companies invest billions of dollars in research. They do not want to find themselves in a situation of legal uncertainty¹⁷ when they have a successful result. This alone, it says, is reason enough for them to reach an accord that will provide them with the legal framework they need and, at the same time, will recompense the holders of traditional knowledge.

1 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

2 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

3 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

4 trademarks   

n.（注册）商标( trademark的名词复数 )；（人的行为或衣着的）特征，标记

参考例句：

• Motrin and Nuprin are trademarks of brands of ibuprofen tablets. Nuprin和Motrin均是布洛芬的商标。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many goods in China have the trademarks of a panda. 中国的许多商品都带有熊猫的商标。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 cosmetic   

n.化妆品；adj.化妆用的；装门面的；装饰性的

参考例句：

• These changes are purely cosmetic.这些改变纯粹是装饰门面。
• Laughter is the best cosmetic,so grin and wear it!微笑是最好的化妆品，所以请尽情微笑吧！

6 penicillin   

n.青霉素，盘尼西林

参考例句：

• I should have asked him for a shot of penicillin.我应当让他给我打一针青霉素的。
• Penicillin was an extremely significant medical discovery.青霉素是极其重要的医学发现。

7 appropriation   

n.拨款，批准支出

参考例句：

• Our government made an appropriation for the project.我们的政府为那个工程拨出一笔款项。
• The council could note an annual appropriation for this service.议会可以为这项服务表决给他一笔常年经费。

8 plowing   

v.耕( plow的现在分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• "There are things more important now than plowing, Sugar. "如今有比耕种更重要的事情要做呀，宝贝儿。 来自飘（部分）
• Since his wife's death, he has been plowing a lonely furrow. 从他妻子死后，他一直过着孤独的生活。 来自辞典例句

9 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

10 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

11 folklore   

n.民间信仰，民间传说，民俗

参考例句：

• Zhuge Liang is a synonym for wisdom in folklore.诸葛亮在民间传说中成了智慧的代名词。
• In Chinese folklore the bat is an emblem of good fortune.在中国的民间传说中蝙蝠是好运的象征。

12 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

13 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

14 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

15 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

16 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

17 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。