Patents were invented to protect, for a certain amount of time, creators and inventors in order to keep the competition from copying their products, which would otherwise keep them from earning enough profit in return for their investments. However, what happens when large corporations research and development is based on existing biological resources which native people and local communities know about and use in traditional practices? This book, which includes contributions of renowned experts, analyzes disagreements and conflicts regarding this issue and how international norms regarding intellectual property come up to defend biodiversity and the distribution of benefits derived from it. To find these points of balance, the book suggests changes in the culture of patent interpretation and modifications to the regulations regarding conservation and sustainability of biodiversity. It concludes by proposing a new public policy.