About Intellectual Property IP Training IP Outreach IP for… IP and... IP in... Patent & Technology Information Trademark Information Industrial Design Information Geographical Indication Information Plant Variety Information (UPOV) IP Laws, Treaties & Judgements IP Resources IP Reports Patent Protection Trademark Protection Industrial Design Protection Geographical Indication Protection Plant Variety Protection (UPOV) IP Dispute Resolution IP Office Business Solutions Paying for IP Services Negotiation & Decision-Making Development Cooperation Innovation Support Public-Private Partnerships The Organization Working with WIPO Accountability Patents Trademarks Industrial Designs Geographical Indications Copyright Trade Secrets WIPO Academy Workshops & Seminars World IP Day WIPO Magazine Raising Awareness Case Studies & Success Stories IP News WIPO Awards Business Universities Indigenous Peoples Judiciaries Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions Economics Gender Equality Global Health Climate Change Competition Policy Sustainable Development Goals Enforcement Frontier Technologies Mobile Applications Sports Tourism PATENTSCOPE Patent Analytics International Patent Classification ARDI – Research for Innovation ASPI – Specialized Patent Information Global Brand Database Madrid Monitor Article 6ter Express Database Nice Classification Vienna Classification Global Design Database International Designs Bulletin Hague Express Database Locarno Classification Lisbon Express Database Global Brand Database for GIs PLUTO Plant Variety Database GENIE Database WIPO-Administered Treaties WIPO Lex - IP Laws, Treaties & Judgments WIPO Standards IP Statistics WIPO Pearl (Terminology) WIPO Publications Country IP Profiles WIPO Knowledge Center WIPO Technology Trends Global Innovation Index World Intellectual Property Report PCT – The International Patent System ePCT Budapest – The International Microorganism Deposit System Madrid – The International Trademark System eMadrid Article 6ter (armorial bearings, flags, state emblems) Hague – The International Design System eHague Lisbon – The International System of Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications eLisbon UPOV PRISMA Mediation Arbitration Expert Determination Domain Name Disputes Centralized Access to Search and Examination (CASE) Digital Access Service (DAS) WIPO Pay Current Account at WIPO WIPO Assemblies Standing Committees Calendar of Meetings WIPO Official Documents Development Agenda Technical Assistance IP Training Institutions COVID-19 Support National IP Strategies Policy & Legislative Advice Cooperation Hub Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC) Technology Transfer Inventor Assistance Program WIPO GREEN WIPO's Pat-INFORMED Accessible Books Consortium WIPO for Creators WIPO ALERT Member States Observers Director General Activities by Unit External Offices Job Vacancies Procurement Results & Budget Financial Reporting Oversight

About the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library

(Information courtesy of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research)

The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) project, initiated in India in 2001, is a collaboration between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, of India.  It is being implemented at the CSIR.   The inter-disciplinary team involved in the creation of the TKDL for Indian Systems of Medicine included traditional medicine experts (Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Yoga), patent examiners, IT experts, scientists and technical officers.

Facts

The TKDL contains documentation of publicly available traditional knowledge (TK) that:

  • relates to Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Yoga
  • is in digitized format
  • is available in five languages: English, German, French, Japanese and Spanish.

The TKDL, which contains over 34 million pages:

  • provides information on TK existing in India, in languages and a format understandable by patent examiners at international patent offices
  • contains information for patent examiners on prior art that would otherwise be available only in Sanskrit and other local languages in Indian libraries
  • lists the precise time, place and medium of publication for prior art searches by patent examiners
  • aims to prevent the granting of erroneous patents.

Goals

The TKDL:

  • seeks to prevent the granting of patents for products developed utilizing TK where there has been little, if any, inventive step
  • intends to act as a bridge between information recorded in ancient Sanskrit and patent examiners (with its database containing information in a language and format understandable to patent examiners)
  • facilitates access to information not easily available to patent examiners, thereby minimizing the possibility that patents could be granted for “inventions” involving only minor or insignificant modifications.

IP Office collaboration

Certain patents offices have been granted access to the TKDL for carrying out prior art searches and patent examination:

  • European Patent Office (February 2009)
  • Indian Patent Office (July 2009)
  • German Patent Office (October 2009)
  • United States Patent and Trademark Office (November 2009)
  • United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (February 2010)
  • Canadian Intellectual Property Office (September 2010)
  • IP Australia (January 2011)

Since gaining access in February 2009, the EPO has identified 36 patents that make use of Indian TK.  In some cases, the EPO has set aside its intention to grant the patent, while in others applicants have withdrawn their application. (Examples of EPO applications set aside, modified or withdrawn based on TKDL evidence.)  Similar results are expected by the CSIR for the rest of these cases.  According to the CSIR, this could help prevent legally complex and expensive opposition processes.