Advocating for a world where intellectual
property law serves the public interest.

Availability of research articles for the public during pandemic – a case study

[Augustine Joshua Devasahayam] Abstract: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disease has affected millions of lives, forcing most of us to stay at home and work. However, there is an immediate need to conduct research on potential drugs against COVID-19. In this article, the extent to which major publishers have provided access for the public to read research articles relevant to potential
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Gilead Remdesivir Licenses: Half measures are not nearly good enough

The deadly public policy of letting Big Pharma companies like Gilead control access to COVID-19 therapies is clearer now than ever before. While promising “global access” out of one side of its mouth, Gilead has shown its true intentions with new, confidential bilateral licenses negotiated with five generic companies in India and Pakistan. These licenses only cover approximately 52% of
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How did fair use get into the Korean Copyright Act?

As I explained in my previous blog post, the open-ended fair use clause in the Korean Copyright Act (“KCA”) was introduced in 2011 in the course of implementing the Korea-US FTA (“KORUS”). Yet, this does not mean that KORUS mandates legislation of fair use. Instead, KORUS restricts the scope of fair use. Footnote 11 of KORUS §18.4:1 mentions fair use,
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WIPO Responds to Call to Act with New Tools on IP/COVID

The World Intellectual Property Organization has released two new initiatives and a policy statement on intellectual property and responses to the COVID pandemic. The new initiatives and policy statement respond to many of the issues raised in an earlier letter from a broad coalition to WIPO’s Director General asking for a clear stance on intellectual property and the COVID pandemic.
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New Leadership at WIPO

[Teresa Hackett] In May 2020, member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) appointed Mr Daren Tang to WIPO’s top job in Geneva. As leader of WIPO, the global body that sets international law and policy on intellectual property issues, the new Director General takes charge of an organization whose direction on copyright determines how libraries do their work,
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COVID-19: The duty to document does not cease in a crisis, it becomes more essential

This statement about the duty to document was developed by ICA and the International Conference of Information Commissioners, supported by ARMA International, CODATA, Digital Preservation Coalition, Research Data Alliance, UNESCO Memory of the World and World Data System. The statement is built on three principles: Decisions must be documented; Records and data should be secured and preserved in all sectors;
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