Day May 12, 2022

WHO and MPP Announce Agreement with NIH for COVID-19 Health Technologies

[Medicines Patent Pool] WHO’s COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) today finalised a licensing agreement with the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the development of several innovative therapeutics, early-stage vaccines and diagnostic tools for COVID-19. The licences, which are transparent, global and non-exclusive, will allow manufacturers from around the world to work with MPP and C-TAP to make these technologies accessible to people living in low- and middle-income countries and help put an end to the pandemic. The 11 COVID-19 technologies offered under two licences include the stabilised spike protein used in currently available COVID-19 vaccines, research tools for vaccine, therapeutic and diagnostic development as well as early-stage vaccine candidates and diagnostics.

PIJIP Statement at the 42nd Session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights

The Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property provides the following comments and information related to the agenda items being considered at the 42nd session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights. The comment includes sections on 1. our new study on research exceptions in comparative copyright, 2. limitations and exceptions in the broadcast treaty, and 3. the African Proposal for a Work Plan on limitations and exceptions.

From Berne Convention History: Germany’s Stand on Copyright Limitations & Exceptions for Scientific and Educational Purposes

[Lokesh Vyas] During the initial meetings of the Berne Convention, Germany was very vocal about the rights of users and even proposed a separate right to use copyrighted works for education and scientific purposes without author’s consent. This proposal came through a questionnaire proposed by Germany on September 9th, 1884 meeting of the Convention wherein it used the term reciprocal right for using the copyrighted works for education and scientific purposes. This was later included in the draft as Article 8 named “Lawful reproduction of protected works in scientific or educational works”.