An autonomy-based justification for intellectual property rights of indigenous communities

The claim that indigenous communities are entitled to have intellectual pro perty rights (IPRs) to both their plant varieties and their botanical knowl edge has been put forward by writers who wish to protect the plant genetic resources of indigenous communities from uncompensated use by biotechnologi cal transnational corporations. We argue that while it is necessary for ind igenous communities to have such rights, the entitlement argument is an uns atisfactory justification for them. A more convincing foundation for indige nous community IPRs is the autonomy theory developed by Will Kymlicka.