In today’s Times Live, Nestle spokesperson Ravi Pillay responded to recent allegations by Natural Justice and the Berne Declaration (see the first blog posting here and follow-up media links here) that Nestle contravened international and South Africa biodiversity laws in five of its patent applications. In addition to denying the allegations, Pillay’s responses ranged from “That would be commercially sensitive information,” to “That’s the sort of information that would be commercially sensitive.” Natural Justice continues to encourage Nestle and the South African government to enter into negotiations towards a benefit-sharing agreement and appopriate patent application.
