Know your rights to your Aboriginal plant knowledge: A guide for Aboriginal knowledge holders on recording and commercialising Aboriginal plant knowledge
Know your rights to your Aboriginal plant knowledge: A guide for Aboriginal knowledge holders on recording and commercialising Aboriginal plant knowledge Report
Report for Darwin Regional Indigenous Advancement & CDEP Incorporated T/A Aboriginal Bush Traders
- Author(s): Morse, J.
- Tertiary Author(s): Terri Janke and Company Pty Ltd
- Published: 2010
- Publisher: by Terri Janke and Company Pty Ltd
Abstract: The purpose of this booklet is to guide Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory on the legal aspects of commercialising their knowledge of plants, and the plant materials the knowledge relates to. As the holder(s) and custodian(s) of plant knowledge that has been built up and used over thousands, you have information about plants that could be used to generate wealth and opportunities for yourself and your community. Alternatively, you may just want somebody to document your knowledge for safe keeping and for future generations. Knowing how best to use this knowledge in a way that will benefit you and your community can be a tricky business. In certain cases, you will need support and assistance from non-Aboriginal people and/ or institutions to record the knowledge and/or develop the knowledge and the plant into a commercially viable product. However, in doing so, there is the danger that you will lose control of the knowledge, how it us used and who it benefits. By looking at the various options and stages involved in recording and commercialising plant knowledge, and the various laws that control the trade of both knowledge and plants, this booklet will help you make informed decisions at each stage of the process. The process of recording and/or commercialising your plant knowledge can be complex and lengthy. Once you start the process, there will be various steps along the way, possibly many different people, organisations and institutions that you will need to deal with and many decisions to make. There are also a variety of laws that will affect how you (and others) can deal with your knowledge and the plants to which the knowledge relates. Some of the laws will work in your favour, whereas some may work against you if you are not careful. In any case, it is important to consider all of the potential issues you might come up against as early as possible. This information booklet is designed to help you get an idea of what issues you might face at the various stages of the process, and what you should do (or avoid doing) to make sure your knowledge is used in ways that you feel comfortable with and that are most likely to benefit you and your community. Although this booklet divides the process into several stages, this doesn’t mean that each stage will definitely follow the previous stage. You may never reach one of the later stages, or may have to return to the first stage of the process at a later date. The important thing is to be aware of all the issues at the earliest possible time. A decision you make now could affect the project many years down the track.
- Urls: http://www.terrijanke.com.au/know-your-rights, http://www.terrijanke.com.au/resources (download site)
- Publisher Location: Sydney