Seed of an Idea

[Shauna Singh Baldwin]

Dear Listserv Members:
Indian heirloom seeds and remedies are being patented by US
multinationals for their exclusive exploitation. e.g. Basmati rice.

A group of concerned NRIs is interested in combatting the granting of
these patents by providing a public web-based database accessible by
patent offices around the world, a database that will prove that old
Indian remedies/seeds/plants are public knowledge/domain and hence not
patentable in themselves (though the processes related to their use may
be).

We are looking for historical documents/books that can be referenced by
index or in full on a website, to assist us in proving the origin and
antiquity of Indian remedies and seeds.

If you have bibliographies you can send us, we would be most grateful.
Your comments or suggestions on this idea are also welcome. Please
respond to sbaldwin at execpc.com
Many thanks for your attention.
Shauna Baldwin


Shauna Singh Baldwin
What the Body Remembers (Doubleday USA, Sept 99)
English Lessons and Other Stories (Goose Lane, Canada 1996)
A Foreign Visitor's Survival Guide to America (John Muir Publications
USA, 1992)