与此同时，传统知识一般也不是基于某种技术上的分类而独立存在的知识点或知识集合，而是与相关群体的文化背景、宗教信仰、道德观念等相互关联、相辅相承，并由群体成员自然承袭的知识。为此，没有任何一个单个的成员得对传统知识主张“创造者的权利”。 并且，由于传统知识经过若干代人的传承，其起源和原创者都很难确证了，持有相关传统知识的传统部落或传统社区都是该传统知识的权利人或利益相关者。传统知识这种的创造过程、存续状态导致其全体主体的群体性。而传统知识产权则与此完全不同，如著作权人、专利权人和商标权人都是非常具有的自然人或者法人。

（2）公开性

从控制状态而言，传统知识具有公开性(openness)。传统知识是特定群体通过代代相传共同开发、培育的知识集合与知识片断，因而这类知识是由特定群体共同掌握和拥有的，且大多与群体的生活自然相伴，没有刻意的保密制度或措施。当然，某些传统知识可能需要专门的智慧和技能方可加以运用，如传统医药知识。
传统的知识产权则不全部具有公开性。如商业秘密就要求必须保密；作品完成后就自动受到保护，也不要求公开。

（3）延续性

从时间历程而言，传统知识具有延续性(continuity)。传统知识与一个地区、一个民族生产与生活方式的自然演进一同发展，它通常不是为了解决某一特定问题而生，而是在长期的历史过程中自然延续和积累，具有广泛的实用性。
传统知识产权一般具有期限性。即使是商标通过无限续展可以受到无限期的保护，但每次续展的期限是10年，这不能否认其期限性。过了一定期限后，知识产权就进入公有领域，任何人均可以使用而无需获得许可，更无需支付使用费。

（4）不确定性

从外延而言，传统知识具有不确定性(indeterminacy)。一般而言，传统知识的流传都是在一个相对封闭的社区或部落中自然进行。此类知识中的大部分都是零散的，基于口头传诵而存续的未记录的知识。不同的成员对同一传统知识有不同的理解和不同的利用方式。由于传统知识不断地进行代际相传，不断地在发展，因此，在不同的历史时期，人们对同类知识也会有不同的理解和运用。传统知识的外延很难确定。

第二节 传统知识的法律保护

近些年来，一些发达国家的医药、化工企业将一些发展中国家的传统知识，如印度的传统医药，未加改进就申请和获得了专利，而传统知识来源地的群体却要为此支付专利费
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Meanwhile,traditional knowledge is generally not independent knowledge points or a knowledge aggregate based on a certain technological classification,but is inter-connected and inter-supplemented with related groups’cultural backgrounds, religious beliefs and moral
conceptions, and is naturally inherited by group members.Therefore, no individual group member has to claim
“rights of creator” towards traditional knowledge.
Furthermore, traditional tribes or communities who are
the owners of related traditional knowledge are its
obligees or interest-related with it, as its origin and
creators have been rendered hard to be confirmed by generations’inheritance.The creating process and state of
existence of traditional knowledge lead to its entire
ownership’s collectivity.And traditional intellectual
property rights are totally different from this, for
example, the owner of copyright,patentee,owner of
trademark are all very specific natural person or legal
person.
(2)openness
Traditional knowledge is marked by openness in terms of
the state of control.It is a knowledge aggregate and knowledge fragments jointly developed and nurtured by
particular groups generation after generation.
Therefore,this category of knowledge is without
elaborate secrecy as it is jointly mastered and
possessed by particular groups, and mostly accompanies
the groups’life. Of course,some traditional knowledge
may need specialized wisdom and techniques in order to
be applied,such as traditional medicine.Traditional
intellectual property rights don’t all have openness.
For instance,commercial secrets require secrecy; a work,
when completed, is automatically protected without being required to be made open.
(3)continuity
Seen from the course of time, traditional knowledge is also featured by continuity. It develops
simultaneously with the natural progress of a region or a people’s mode of production and life.Usually it is
not produced for the purpose of solving a particular
problem,instead,it is naturally extended and accumulated during the long course of history,and thus has extensive practicality.
There is generally a time limit to traditional
intellectual property rights.Even if a trade mark can
receive timelimit-free protection through limitless
continuity,the time limit of every continuity is 10
years,and its time limit can’t be denied.After a
certain time limit,intellectual
Property rights enter public area,and everybody has free access to it.
(4)indeterminacy
Traditional knowledge is characterized by indeterminacy in regard to extention.Generally speaking,the
dissemination of traditional knowledge is naturally
conducted within a relatively isolated community or
tribe. The most part of this kind of knowledge is
scattered and orally passed down.Different members hold different comprehensions and modes of use towards the
same traditional knowledge. As traditional knowledge is constantly passed down through generations and is
constantly developing,people have different understandings and applications of the similar knowledge.It’s hard
to determine the extension of traditional knowledge.
$ The legal protection of traditional knowledge
Over the recent years,medical and chemical firms in
some developed countries have applied for and acquired
patent for some developing countries’traditional
knowledge such as Indian traditional medicine without
improving it, while the groups from the origin of
traditional knowledge have to pay patent fees.