This work is a study of the effects of biopiracy on those participating in the natural plant product market. Many supporters of intellectual property would contend that the ability to have protection over a value added process or invention is essential. This study seeks to understand how biopiracy, or the mis-appropriation of basic biological resources or the traditional knowledge of those biological resources, and its effects are conceptualized by those who are working in the field of natural plant products. All data was collected through in depth interviews where a series of open ended questions were asked about the function of the participant's business and their perception of biopiracy. There were fourteen interviews conducted in total, ten of whom were natural plant product exporters residing in Lima, Peru. Three of the participants interviewed were public servants actively working to combat biopiracy, and the last participant was a non-Peruvian businessman exporting natural plant products to their home country. The findings of this study emphasize that the meaning of biopiracy is subjective and in some cases takes on several meanings. The inconsistency of the term does not indicate that the term is being used incorrectly, but rather it is being conceptualized by those in the field in different ways, each of which have implications associated with it.
