Can anyone request genetic material from CIP?
CIP tries to make all of its materials, products, innovations, and technologies freely available to beneficiaries in developing countries. In the same spirit, the collections of CIP’s genebank are considered as public goods, held in trust for the benefit of humanity. These genetic resources, frequently the results of improvements achieved by scientists and farmers in developing countries, are widely distributed for research purposes. CIP reserves its right to make requests for intellectual property rights to material or techniques when there is genuine concern that without these rights, researchers from developing countries would lose free access to the materials. In 1999, CIP elaborated a strict protocol about genetic resources, biotechnology and intellectual property rights.
