Making a commons of new and old knowledge in India

Frederick Noronha, India At The Forefront Of Knowledge Commons Debate, Intellectual Property Watch, September 3, 2006. Excerpt:

What do seeds have in common with software? Or age-old medicines with copyright lawyers? And, what's the link between ayurvedic medicines and techies talking free software in Bangalore?

Such issues are getting closely enmeshed in a deepening debate on how knowledge is shared or controlled in this new information-dominated century. This is a debate of vital relevance for a country that is making an increasingly visible global impact through its brain power, and yet has among the most impressive collections of traditional medicines and knowledge.

Diverse views surface on how such issues should be tackled, as was strongly obvious at a 24-25 August "knowledge symposium" held at New Delhi....