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Quote by Vandana Shiva

“It's a phenomenon that started in the United States in which corporations make claims on the life forms, biodiversity and innovations of other cultures by applying for patents on them.”

Quote by Vandana Shiva

Author

Vandana Shiva is an Indian environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate, and author. Born on November 5, 1952, she is recognized for her efforts in promoting sustainable agriculture and organic farming. Shiva has authored many books and articles on environmental issues and is a vocal critic of corporate control over seeds and food systems. more

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“There is now a patent restricting the use of an herb called philantis neruri for curing jaundice. An even more blatant example is the use of turmeric for healing wounds, which is something every mother and grandmother does in every home in India. Now the Mississippi Medical Center claims to have "invented" the capacity of turmeric to heal wounds.”

Doe Use Home Mother Healing Example Capacity India Claims Medical Wounds Heal Grandmother Herbs Mississippi Patents Mother And Grandmother Jaundice

Author:Vandana Shiva

“I have called this phenomenon of stealing common knowledge and indigenous science "biopiracy" and "intellectual piracy." According to patent systems we shouldn't be able to patent what exists as "prior art." But the United States patent system is somewhat perverted. First of all, it does not treat the prior art of other societies as "prior art." Therefore anyone from the United States can travel to another country, find out about the use of a medicinal plant, or find a seed that farmers use, come back here, claim it as an invention or an innovation.”

“I've just been told that Nestle has taken out patents on the making of pullao. (Pullao is the way we make our rice in India, with either vegetables or meat or whatever.) Before you know it, every common use of plants will be patented by a Western corporation.”

Knows Way Use Common Taken India Plant Western Corporations Meat Vegetables Rice Patents

Author:Vandana Shiva

“It's worse than slave trade because what is being traded is the very knowledge that makes survival possible for 80 percent of the people of this world. These 80 percent live on the biodiversity and the knowledge they have evolved as part of a rich collective heritage involving the use of seeds for growing crops and medicinal plants for healing.”

People World Use Healing Rich Growing This World Survival Percent Trade Plant Slave Seeds Collectives Heritage Crops Involving Biodiversity Slave Trade

Author:Vandana Shiva

“The enclosure of the biological and intellectual commons in this way is a real threat to the future of people everywhere because it creates a situation where common practices that have been part of people's lives for generations become monopolies of a handful of pharmaceutical, agribusiness and agrichemical corporations. People then become incapable of looking after their own needs.”

People Way Needs Has Beens Real Common Situation Practice Generations Intellectual Threat Corporations Incapable Monopoly Handful Pharmaceutical Enclosure Agribusiness

Author:Vandana Shiva

“Every farmer must go to the seed industry every year to buy their seed and pay an 80 percent royalty to a corporation. Over-the-fence exchanges have started to be treated as crimes. Or, if you need a biological pest control, you can no longer use the need seed in your back yard. Instead you have to depend on the Grace Corporation or some other entity. That kind of dependency basically leads to increased poverty and increased ecological destruction.”

Ifs Needs Years Kind Use Pay Poverty Grace Crime Depends Industry Percent Destruction Seeds Treated Corporations Farmers Entity Yards Fence Royalty Ecological Dependency Pests Pest Control

Author:Vandana Shiva

“One of the movements we have developed is to say that, just as intellectual property rights protect the inventions of individuals, common rights are needed to protect the common intellectual heritage of indigenous peoples. These are rights that are recognized through the Convention on Biological Diversity. We are working to make sure that they become foundations of our jurisprudence.”

Individual Common Rights Movement Needed Protect Diversity Intellectual Foundation Property Invention Heritage Conventions Indigenous Property Rights Intellectual Property Indigenous People Jurisprudence

Author:Vandana Shiva

“We have to build movements in the face of trade retaliation on the basis of people's democratic rights, on the basis of an ancient heritage of collective innovation. We work from the grassroots all the way to the national government and the World Trade Organization. It basically means being very multidimensional in our campaigns. And that is where part of the fun is. It involves both resistance and creativity. It involves constructive action, while at the same time saying "no."”

“Nature has given us this for free, it was meant to sustain us, we will not allow it to become a monopoly to finance the Imperial Army.”

Given Army Finance Monopoly

Author:Vandana Shiva

“Nature has gifted this rich biological diversity to us. We will not allow it to become the monopoly of a handful of corporations. We will keep it as the basis of our wealth and our sustenance.”

Wealth Rich Diversity Bases Corporations Gifted Monopoly Handful Sustenance

Author:Vandana Shiva