The IP cartel in the USA says a big FUCK YOU to developing countries, all your ideas are belong to us.
In the aftermath of India being forced/coerced to adopt patent law that quite literally kills people as a condition for joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), US representatives at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) are moving to counter efforts by developing countries and numerous non-government organizations (NGOs) to bring public-interest considerations — like protecting human health — to its decision-making.
Specifically, representatives have reportedly been circulating a draft paper that attempts to reframe the problem, arguing that WIPO is already addressing development issues and proposing merely a “WIPO Partnership Program” — an Internet-based database to bring together “donors and recipients of IP development assistance.”
In sharp contrast, the Development Agenda proposed by developing countries and NGOs urges WIPO to move beyond the narrow view that any and all IP protection is beneficial, and choose instead to act strategically to spur economic growth, foster innovation, and help humanity.
From United States v. WIPO’s Development Agenda: Corante > Copyfight > via Boing Boing
5 Comments
The dillemia is that IP protection is necessary for private research to survive.
Actually, there is a win-win situation. Most third world countries currently cannot afford to buy drugs at first world price. Therefore, theoretically, there is negligible revenue lost if they start selling this drugs at a lower margin in these poor countries. Overall, there should be an absolute revenue/profit increase. The problem, however, is how to stop people from first world countries smuggling the cheap drugs from the third world countries to sell/consume in the first world. If one can think of an effective solution, then there should not be anymore excuses from Big Pharma.
The rest of the world likes to complain about America but ends up subjugate to it anyway for economic reasons.
We could solve the problem by shortening patent durations (at least they’re not as long as copyright durations!!!), ending farm subsidies and spending the money on subsidising poor world drug purchases (or financing R&D in return for lower pill costs).
Agagooga:
We could.
However, patents are currently easily renewed with just a slight molecular change in the drug. Farm subsidies such as the EU Common Agricultural Policy will continue as long as we have the likes of Jose Bove organising protests in order to protect French ‘culture’.
Not that I’m disagreeing with you, but it is interesting that you suggest the public sector finance R&D projects. Most would prefer the government sector keep out of industries, given the common perception that the government is always less efficient than the private sector.
guofeng: i disagree, agagooga is right. Many academics have postualted that governmental aid will spur creativity, and it is the corporate culture that is hindering R&D.
Agagooga: coming from you pt, patents are more evil than copyrights. Copyrights give a qualifed monoploy, whereas patents give an absolute monopoly.