New Info on Patents for Directive Debate, World Court, and Ordre
From: Edward Hammond hammond@rafiusa.org

Dear Friends,

You will find new resources at RAFI's website (http://www.rafi.ca) detailing patents that threaten indigenous knowlege and resources, public morality, food security, and human dignity. The product of extensive research, information sheets detail what countries have issued twenty of the worst patents and present strategies through the World Court and GATT TRIPs for stopping them. The same information will be distributed to members of the European Parliament on Monday (June 16), and will be useful in efforts to stop the new proposed EU patent directive.

Specifically, you will find:

1) Are Patents Out of Control? A sheet explaining how Article 27(2) of GATT TRIPs may be used by countries to opt out of life patents and how, through the upcoming session (to review Agenda 21) of the UN General Assemby, an Advisory Opinion on life patenting may be sought from the World Court.

2) Patents and Ordre Public A poster size spreadsheet illustrating the global coverage of patents contrary to indigenous knowlege and resources, species patents, and patents contrary to human dignity. The chart rates individual countries on how many of the highlighted life patents they have allowed to be issued on their soil.

3) Patent Summaries Another poster size sheet providing a description of each of the patents covered in the Ordre Public description, with example patent numbers and relevant details. Also provided are links to more detailed information on the patents from recent editions of RAFI Communique.

The information is available in web-browser readable formats, as well as downloadable Acrobat (PDF) files. If you are unable to access the World Wide Web, please forward your mailing address to "communique@rafiusa.org" and we'll send you a copy via airmail (please only request this option if you cannot use WWW).

Webmaster: steve@greenpeople.org