Science Has Delivered, Will the WTO Do the Same?
[Brajendra Navnit, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to WTO] A proposal by India, South Africa and eight other countries calls on the World Trade Organization (WTO) to exempt member countries from enforcing some patents, and other Intellectual Property (IP) rights under the organisation’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, known as TRIPS, for a limited period of time. Click here for more on the The Independent Online.
Intellectual Property, Global Inequality and Subnational Policy Variations
[Peter Yu] Abstract: Commissioned for an edited volume on intellectual property, innovation and global inequality, this chapter begins by discussing where developments in middle-income countries fit into the North-South debate. The chapter then moves from the frequently discussed inequality among countries to inequality within countries—a topic that has received fast-growing attention from trade and development economists but that the intellectual property literature has insufficiently studied. Click here for more.
Australian Copyright Law Impedes the Development of Artificial Intelligence: What Are the Options?
[Rita Matulionyte] Abstract: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an emerging technology that has a huge potential in contributing to the Australian economy and addressing economic and social problems in society. However, Australian copyright laws are likely to impede the development of AI, and machine learning in particular, by requiring authorization every time when copyrighted content is used in machine learning processes. Click here for more.
Publishers Sue Sci-Hub and Libgen in India for Copyright Infringement, Seek to Have Websites Blocked
[Mike Palmedo] Three major academic publishers sued Sci-Hub and Libgen for copyright infringement in the Delhi High Court on December 21. Both sites provide unauthorized downloads of academic works to students and researchers. The publishers – Elsevier, Wiley and the American Chemical Society – are asking the judge to require dynamic blocking of the websites. Click here for more.
Licensing Life-Saving Drugs for Developing Countries: Evidence from the Medicines Patent Pool
[Alberto Galasso, Mark Schankerman] Abstract: We study the effects of a patent pool on the licensing and adoption of life-saving drugs in low- and middle-income countries. Using data on licensing and sales for HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis drugs, we show that there is an immediate and large increase in licensing by generic firms when a patent is included in the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP). This finding is robust to identification strategies to deal with endogeneity of MPP patents and countries. The impact of the MPP is especially large for small, non-Sub-Saharan countries. The impact on actual entry and sales, however, is much smaller than on licensing, which is due to geographic bundling of licenses by the MPP. More broadly, the paper highlights the potential of pools in promoting technology diffusion of biomedical innovation. Click here for more.
European Digital Single Market Directive Implementation Update: More Proposals to Protect User Rights
[Communia Association] The implementation deadline for the Copyright in the Digital Single Market is a mere five months ahead of us. On the 7th of June, the EU Member States are expected to have implemented the 2019 update of the EU copyright rules. With less than half a year to go, it is looking increasingly unlikely that more than a small handful of Member States will manage to implement the new provisions by the deadline. In this post, we are taking stock of the implementation process focusing on what has changed since our update from a month ago. Click here for more.INFOJUSTICE ROUNDUP – DECEMBER 21, 2020
