noun
- plural of biopiracy; the unauthorized collection, use, or commercialization of biological resources or traditional knowledge from developing countries without fair compensation or consent
Usage: typically used in discussions of intellectual property, environmental ethics, and international law; often refers to pharmaceutical, agricultural, or cosmetic industries extracting genetic material or indigenous knowledge
Examples
- Environmental groups have documented numerous biopiracies involving the extraction of medicinal plants from rainforests.
- The convention aims to prevent biopiracies by requiring companies to obtain permission before using genetic resources.
- Developing nations have raised concerns about biopiracies in the pharmaceutical industry.
- Indigenous communities have fought against biopiracies that exploit their traditional knowledge without compensation.
- International agreements now address biopiracies to protect biodiversity and indigenous rights.