Chairperson, I, without question and with pride, represent women in science in supporting this Bill on behalf of the IFP.
A winning country requires vibrant research and development. This Bill is another rung in the ladder that Science and Technology is building to lift South Africa onto a launch pad from which we can be projected into a successful orbit.
Intellectual property is undoubtedly one of most valuable mechanisms for advancing civilisation. However, there is always a conflict. On the one hand there is a person who creates a novel concept, benefiting therefrom; on the other there is the need for breakthrough ideas that will benefit society, being freely available to all. The human genome is an example of this. Knowledge held by our traditional leaders is another classic example. It is exploited by foreign drug companies who buy knowledge from individuals and commercialise it. Our traditional healers keep their knowledge secret because they don't see financial benefit through sharing it. As a result, valuable ideas are not commercialised.
To create a structure that is fair and embraces community knowledge, government funding, private funding, university initiatives, and individual creators requires a tricky balancing act. This Bill seeks to walk that tightrope. It is a new development and, understandably, some are anxious about the changes.
Universities are concerned that it will add a financial burden to them and to the Department of Science and Technology; also that frivolous patents will be filed and attempts to commercialise these will fail, with huge wastage of money. Small businesses are concerned that they must navigate an ever expanding bureaucracy. Researchers are concerned that international donors sometimes insist that there should be no personal commercial benefit from their funding. The private sector does not want to be left on its own to fund research, lodge intellectual property, and commercialise research.
Many of the mechanisms incorporated are based on systems in countries where research and development are well-funded and its agencies efficient. But, this initiative is important. If it is well-funded, universities are supported, and the patent office, the National Intellectual Property Management Office, Nipmo, does not get buried in piles of papers, it will help us to fly. Perhaps, in future, it may need fine-tuning, but we support the Bill. Thank you.