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

Towards a European ‘Fair Use’ Grounded in Freedom of Expression

[Christophe Geiger and Elena Izyumenko] Abstract: It is often claimed that an open-ended provision for copyright limitations such as the US fair use clause would be unfit for civil law countries because of their author-centered traditions of copyright law and their traditional skepticism towards “judge made law” encouraged by open norms. However, the rising application in those countries of fundamental

Patent Pooling In Public Health

[Esteban Burrone] Abstract: In recent years, patent pooling has emerged as a mechanism to address some of the innovation and access challenges relating to health technologies. While patent pools have existed for several decades in other fields of technology, it is a relatively new concept in the biomedical and public health fields, where it has been adapted to pursue public

South Africa Creators, Access Advocates Rally To Support Copyright Bill And Dispel Myths

A broad coalition of creators and access to knowledge advocates have petitioned the President of South Africa to urgently sign the Copyright Amendment Bill before him. The petition (https://www.re-createza.org/) is endorsed by organizations representing over half a million South African creators, teachers, people with disabilities and others who rely on copyright access and protection. It calls for the President to

Increase in Drug Spending in Canada Due to Extension of Data Protection for Biologics: A Descriptive Study

[Joel Lexchin] Abstract: Biologics are currently protected from competition by eight years of data protection. The renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) increases data protection from 8 to 10 years. This study investigates the effect of such an extension on drug spending in Canada.

Myths and Reality About Canadian Copyright Law, Fair Dealing and Educational Copying

Schools and universities are shifting to the use of digital resources - including to online E-reserves, E-Books and other forms of digital distribution. Collective (blanket) licensing, which for years has charged schools for making analogue reproductions of excerpts of printed works for use in printed course packs has declined in value and usefulness as education invests in digital licensing that

Tuberculosis Innovation Approaches in South Africa and Strategies to Secure Public Returns

[Fix the Patent Laws] Today, Fix the Patent Laws is launching a report of findings from an analysis of tuberculosis research and development (R&D) underway in South Africa. The analysis was conducted to gain greater insight into the TB innovation landscape in South Africa, the role of public financing in driving and supporting innovation, as well as expectations of public