傳統中醫藥、本土知識和智慧財產權

Traditional Chinese Medicine, Indigenous Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights

傳統中醫藥（TCM）源自具有至少五千年歷史記載的中國本土知識寶藏，目前已為世界各國人民的健康及保健調養發揮實質貢獻。傳統知識通常代代相傳且為集體族群持有，傳統知識特有性質與智慧財產權保護框架並不完全吻合，後者往往側重於個人所有權和有時效的保護。相對於這些挑戰，近年來，各國政府積極致力於傳統知識和資源相關的國際談判和決策努力不懈，以確保研究人員和開發人員的私人權利以及傳統知識和衍生這些知識的整個社區族群的集體權利，我國政府對於如何保護利用傳統中醫藥文化遺產，尤其重視。經濟部智慧財產局制定的《中草藥相關發明審查基準》自 2008 年 1 月 17 日起正式實施，後於 2013 年修正，該審查基準提供了一個明確的指南來確定中醫藥的可專利性，但仍需要有更好的規範，以確保中醫藥於智慧財產權和公共利益的平衡。

Having a recorded history of at least five thousand years, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) harbours a vast body of indigenous knowledge about human health for the Chinese society. However, due to the information delivery mechanism of TCM being collective memory of indigenous people passed down through generations, it differs from the traditional intellectual property framework that modern society use. In particular, where the intellectual property frameworks focus on individual ownership and time-limited protection. The turn of the century is yet witnessing a change to TCM, with increased efforts in engaging indigenous people and local communities in international negotiations and policy-making processes in regards to their knowledge and resources. ''The Guidance for the Examination of Patentability of TCM'' formulated by the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office has been officially implemented since January 17, 2008 and amended in 2013. The Guidance provided a clear direction on determining patentability. Ultimately, there must be better provisions for ensuring the balancing of intellectual property rights and the public interest in general.