The genetic resources and traditional knowledge accumulated over a long history in some underdeveloped countries and regions have been stolen and exploited for free by some foreign companies and institutions. Biological resources and traditional knowledge are increasingly showing their value in modern society, and biopiracy is becoming more and more rampant. The US-based Edmonds College published a report listing more than 30 examples of Western pharmaceutical, horticultural and cosmetic companies "stealing" African plants. An analysis by the Observer revealed that 7 of the patents approved by the British authorities faced the above accusations, and the patent applied for by Syngenta was also among them.

Edmonds College President Beth Burrows said: "Gone are the days when Westerners traveled across Africa or South America and grabbed whatever they wanted for commercial gain. There is now a new form of colonial plunder. Plants and intellectual property rights should also be protected, as is the internationally recognized ownership of oil. “Traditional knowledge is easily accessible and therefore vulnerable to piracy. The phenomenon of piracy of Indian traditional knowledge on an international scale is very common. Because this traditional knowledge exists in the form of Sanskrit or other local languages, the patent office cannot regard this traditional knowledge information as prior art, so the relevant patent applications are authorized. .

In 1995, two Indian exiles at the University of Mississippi Medical Center received a U.S. patent on the use of turmeric root to heal wounds. The Scientific and Industrial Search Committee in New Delhi, India, submitted a reexamination application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office stating that the patent constituted prior art. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office learned that the contents of the application had been used in India for centuries, determined that the application was not novel and declared the patent invalid in 1997.