For which Indian spice did the Indian government challenge the US patenting and force them to revoke it?

Correct option is D

​The correct answer is (d) Turmeric

Explanation:

• In 1995, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted a patent to the University of Mississippi Medical Center for the medicinal use of turmeric (Curcuma longa), particularly for wound healing.
• However, in 1997, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India, challenged this patent, arguing that turmeric's medicinal properties were already well-known in India for centuries (Traditional Knowledge).
• The challenge was successful, and in 1998, the US revoked the patent, recognizing prior traditional knowledge as valid evidence.

Information Booster:

• The case of turmeric patent revocation became an important milestone in Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), leading to India's efforts to document traditional knowledge.
• The Indian government later created the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) to prevent biopiracy of Indian herbal and medicinal knowledge.
• Similar challenges have been raised against neem and basmati rice patents.