Biopiracy...describe[s] a situation where indigenous or peasant knowledge of nature...is used by others for profit, without permission from and with little or no compensation or recognition to the indigenous people or peasants themselves...A recent study claimed that Africa could be losing more than US$15 billion from its biodiversity as medicines, cosmetics, agricultural products and indigenous knowledge surrounding these are being patented illegally by multinational companies without there being evidence of benefits accruing to local communities in countries of origin...[L]egal battles on the resource frontier are the top of the iceberg, as thousands of patents steal valuable information below radar, especially affecting people in less powerful states than India or Brazil. [refers to RiceTec (part of RiceTec AG)]