India, Australia sign Traditional Knowledge Digital Library access pact to strengthen patent examination

New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) provided access to its Traditional Knowledge Digital Library to IP Australia under an agreement signed during the 3rd India–Australia Annual Summit in Melbourne, an official statement said on Friday.

The TKDL Access Agreement is one of eighteen key outcomes of the summit and will allow IP Australia to consult the database to identify relevant prior art while examining patent applications in accordance with Australia's patent laws and examination procedures, the statement from the Ministry of Science & Technology said.

The agreement was concluded in the presence of the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese MP.

The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), a first-of-its-kind prior art database, has been developed by India to prevent the misappropriation of its rich traditional knowledge through the erroneous grant of patents.

The agreement will facilitate more informed and efficient patent examination while helping prevent the grant of patents on knowledge that is already part of India's documented traditional heritage, the statement noted.