WIPO’s Gurry under pressure to back COVID-19 IP pool
A coalition of more than 350 civil society organisations, academics, and researchers have urged the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to ensure that IP is a “support and not a hindrance” in the battle against COVID-19.
In an open letter to outgoing WIPO director general Francis Gurry, organisations including Creative Commons, Wikimedia, and the Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice backed Costa Rica’s call for an open IP pool for useful technologies to help fight the pandemic.
The letter praised efforts to make research material freely accessible online but said that this was not possible everywhere because of national IP laws.
“We urge you to use your position as the leader of the global IP system to take urgent action to guide [WIPO] member states and others in their response to IP issues that the coronavirus is raising,” the letter said.
Specifically, the groups want Gurry’s backing for countries to forego normal IP rights in order to improve universal access to medical technology and drugs.
They also want Gurry to call on all rights owners to “remove licensing restrictions that inhibit remote education, research ... and access to culture”.
The letter references Costa Rica’s call for a voluntary IP pool, which would grant open access to technologies in the fight against coronavirus.
Costa Rica’s government asked the World Health Organization (WHO) to lead the way in establishing the project.
The country received the backing of several associations and research groups including Global Justice Now and the Global Health Law Committee.
Heidi Chow, senior policy manager of the Global Justice Now campaign, said in support of Costa Rica’s request: “This is not the time for locking-up research and technology just to protect corporate profit. The world is watching and is demanding global solidarity.
“All governments need to step up and demonstrate the leadership needed to put public health over corporate profiteering.”
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