Analysis of the legal, technical and informational background of databases on traditional knowledge and genetic resources, taking into account the new provisions of the World Intellectual Property Organization

The availability of information on traditional knowledge and genetic resources, as well as their legal protection, are among the most discussed topics at the annual sessions of the World Intellectual Property Organization. This is due to the fact that there are cases of challenging already issued patents and their cancellation due to the known nature of the information disclosed in sources containing information on traditional knowledge and genetic resources. This work examines the results of the work of the World Intellectual Property Organization in the field of protection of traditional knowledge and genetic resources, namely, an international document in which the signatory countries establish a requirement for compliance with the condition of indicating in patent applications the sources of information that disclose the information used in the application on traditional knowledge and genetic resources. The legal and technical readiness of the member countries of the Paris Convention for this requirement of the World Intellectual Property Organization is studied. An analysis of existing databases on traditional knowledge and genetic resources, including separately the databases of the Russian Federation, is carried out; their search capabilities are studied, their advantages and disadvantages are identified. Recommendations have been drawn up to eliminate shortcomings related to the technical and information support of databases on traditional knowledge and genetic resources in the Russian Federation. The results of the work will provide creation of universal search arrays on traditional knowledge and genetic resources and strengthen the readiness of the Russian Federation to meet the new requirements of the World Intellectual Property Organization.

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