Ravi, S. B. (2004). Manual on Farmers' Rights
Ravi, S. B. (2004). Manual on Farmers' Rights. Chennai: M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation.
This manual has been developed as a tool for the implementation of the Indian Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act of 2001, with regard to farmers' rights. It is the first manual for practitioners with regard to the realization of farmers' rights in a country.
After an introduction explaining the background of intellectual property rights and Indian relations with the WTO, the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act is presented. On this background, the concept of farmers' rights is presented and defined in terms of nine components: (1) farmers' rights to seed, (2) farmers' rights to register traditional varieties, (3) farmers' rights to reward and recognition, (4) farmers' rights to benefit sharing, (5) farmers' rights to compensation for the loss of registered varieties, (6) farmers' rights to compensation for undisclosed use of traditional varieties; (7) farmers' rights to the seeds of registered varieties; (8) farmers' rights for receiving services; and (9) farmers' rights to protection against innocent infringement. Finally, the manual explains how to proceed in registering farmers' varieties and how local political bodies can contribute in these efforts in line with the new Indian legislation.