WTO TRIPS Council – 20 November 2020 – South Africa’s defense of the TRIPS waiver

On Friday, 20 November 2020, the World Trade Organization (WTO) convened an informal, virtual meeting of the TRIPS Council to discuss a proposal (IP/C/W/669) co-sponsored by Eswatini, India, Kenya, and South Africa for a waiver from certain provisions of the… Continue Reading

WIPO SCCR 40 (hybrid session): Oral statement of Knowledge Ecology International on agenda item 5: Protection of broadcasting organizations

17 November 2020 Oral statement of Knowledge Ecology International – agenda item 5 – Protection of broadcasting organizations. New measures to address signal theft are one thing. But durable post-fixation rights to entities that just retransmit works by authors, performers… Continue Reading

WHA73: Oral statement of Knowledge Ecology International – 11.9 – Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property

KEI is an accredited non-state actor at the World Health Organization (WHO). This was the oral statement we delivered during the resumed session of the WHA 73 in November 2020. Our statement focused on agenda item 11.9 – Global strategy… Continue Reading

$1 Billion Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Contract Weakens IP and Data Protections for Taxpayers

On November 7, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) posted another COVID-19 vaccine contract: the $1 billion agreement between Janssen Pharmaceutical (a component of Johnson & Johnson (“J&J”)) and the U.S. government (through an intermediary called Advanced… Continue Reading

U.S. Government funding of Lilly’s LY-CoV555 antibody against COVID-19

Lilly recently requested an emergency use authorization for LY-CoV555, an antibody treatment candidate against COVID-19. Like other COVID-19 candidates, the discovery of LY-CoV555 was heavily supported by the U.S. government. The government of Canada has also awarded millions to manufacture… Continue Reading

WTO TRIPS Council (October 2020): European Union dismisses concerns that IPRs are a barrier to COVID-19 medicines and technologies

On Friday, 16 October 2020, the European Union provided the following perspectives during a three hour debate on the proposed waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19 co-sponsored by Eswatini, Kenya,… Continue Reading