This title flows from several panels at the Commission on Legal Pluralism Jubilee Conference, entitled Living Realities of Legal Pluralism that was organised in conjunction with the Centre for Legal and Applied Research (CLEAR), the Research Chair in Customary Law and the Chair for Comparative Law in Africa, of the University of Cape Town. The panels highlighted controversial aspects of the legal protection of indigenous knowledge with which the contributors to this volume have critically engaged. This engagement is informed by recent legislative and policy developments in several countries in the global South, including South Africa.

• Introduction: indigenous knowledge – W J du Plessis and Caroline B Ncube
• Access to knowledge and the promotion of innovation: challenges for Pacific Island states – Sue Farran
• Sui generis legislation for the protection of traditional knowledge in South Africa: an opportunity lost – Caroline B Ncube
• Protecting traditional medical knowledge through the intellectual property regime based on the experiences of Iran and South Africa – Pamela Andanda and Hojjat Khademi
• Protection of traditional knowledge in South Africa: the troubled Bill, the inoperative Act, and the commons solution – Elmien (WJ) du Plessis
• Conclusion – Caroline B Ncube and Elmien (WJ) du Plessis

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