A strange history of biopiracy, where, however, is not so easy to tell who are the pirates. The says an article in New Scientist (subscription ) - fully incorporated in this review of Publicenemy.com - Gorinsky through an interview with Conrad, a chemist originally from Guyana who helped found Survival International - the organization International protection of indigenous peoples - and now is accused of stealing secrets and medicinal formulas in which the tribe has grown for profit. The evidence against him? Having tried to patent natural medicines, from forests and traditional knowledge of indigenous Guyanese. But he rejects all the allegations and raises: the laws against bipirateria are used to extinguish the rights of the natives through an alliance (or if you want a convergence) between pharmaceutical companies, governments of developing countries, and Western environmentalists. It sounds like the plot of a novel by Michael Chrichton, it is true, however, and worth reading the reflections of Gorinsky.
