Regulating access to genetic resourcesand equitable sharing of commercialbenefi ts of biodiversity are among themost contentious issues under theConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD).The tenth Conference of Parties, scheduled October 18-29 inJapan, is expected to evolve an international regime on accessand benefi t sharing, also called ABS, from genetic resources.However, the idea of ABS itself remains a pipe dream.