Art. 49a of the Patent Act (PatA) requires patent applicants applying for a patent in Switzerland to provide information on the source of a genetic resource or traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples and local communities.

Should the patent application not contain a declaration concerning the source of the genetic resource or traditional knowledge, the IPI will set a deadline for the patent applicant to rectify the omission and it will reject the patent application if the deadline is not met. Deliberate misrepresentation of the source is punishable with a fine. In addition, the court may order the publication of the ruli