India and Brazil Sign TKDL Access Agreement

The National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), Brazil and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India have entered into a cooperation arrangement on access to the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), a first-of-its-kind prior-art database of Indian traditional knowledge. The Agreement was exchanged in the august presence of H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, and Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, on 21 February 2026.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is on a State Visit to India from 18–22 February 2026 for the India AI Impact Summit 2026 and bilateral engagements with the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. The two leaders welcomed the exchange of the TKDL Access Agreement between INPI, Brazil and CSIR, India, which further strengthens bilateral cooperation in the areas of traditional knowledge (TK) and intellectual property rights (IPR).

The Agreement was exchanged by Márcio Fernando Elias Rosa, Deputy Minister of Development, Industry, Trade & Services, Brazil, and Shri Periasamy Kumaran, IFS, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Through this cooperation, the Brazilian Patent Office will gain access to the TKDL database for use during patent examination and grant procedures. The TKDL serves as a key mechanism to prevent the misappropriation and erroneous patenting of Indian traditional knowledge as intellectual property.
The Agreement will be implemented under the guidance of Mr. Júlio César Moreira, President, INPI, Brazil; Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Director General, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR; and Dr. Viswajanani J. Sattigeri, Scientist-H and Head, CSIR-TKDL Unit, India.
The signing of the TKDL Access Agreement with INPI, Brazil marks the beginning of a new partnership that will strengthen India’s global efforts to prevent biopiracy and misappropriation of traditional knowledge, while supporting Brazil in improving the quality and efficiency of its patent examination process by facilitating better assessment of novelty and prior art.(UPDATED ON 23RD FEBRUARY 2026)