Siamese Fighting Fish protected as Thailand's genetic resource

BANGKOK, February 13 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Commerce, says it is necessary that the Siamese Fighting Fish being protected as one of the country's genetic resources both domestically and internationally. Thosapone Dansuputra, Director-General of the ministry's Department of Intellectual Property, made the remarks in Bangkok on Wednesday, acknowledging that the Thai Cabinet has approved in principle a new patent draft bill, proposed by his department, in which parties requesting for patent registrations involving Thailand's genetic resources need to each disclose the sources of the resources and clearly state benefits to be shared to the owners of the genetic resources in order to prevent the so-called bio-piracy of any genetic resource, like the Siamese Fighting Fish. Besides, the Thai government is speeding up negotiations with foreign countries under the framework of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) towards the conclusion of an international agreement on the protection of genetic resources in order to benefit nations or communities owning the resources. According to the senior official, the moves followed the Thai Cabinet's recent approval of the Siamese Fighting Fish, or Betta splendens, as the national aquatic animal, as proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and the Ministry of Culture's registration of the fish as the Kingdom's cultural heritage. The senior official revealed that Thai commercial offices in foreign economies will be soon assigned to launch public relations campaigns and to notify foreign intellectual property in their respective areas that the Siamese Fighting Fish has become Thailand's national aquatic animal that should not, thus, be sought for any patent registration by any party overseas. (TNA)