[CTC] WTO members reject IP rules waiver for coronavirus technologies

[Arthur Stamoulis]

WTO members reject IP rules waiver for coronavirus technologies
By Helen Collis 
10/16/2020
LONDON — World Trade Organization members on Friday rejected a proposal to temporarily waive intellectual property rights, patents and other protections for any medical technologies relating to Covid-19.
The 164-member council on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights failed to reach consensus on the proposal. Pitched by South Africa and India, it intended to guarantee all countries freedom to operate, innovate, procure and scale up manufacturing capacities in essential health technologies for Covid-19 until widespread global vaccination and immunity was developed.
During a three-hour discussion, 16 members, including Egypt, Indonesia and Argentina, argued, inter alia, that current flexibilities in the agreement won’t guarantee timely access to vital supplies — such as diagnostics, personal protective equipment, medicines and eventually vaccines — during the pandemic.
But other members — including the EU, U.S. and the U.K. — opposed the waiver. “There is no evidence that intellectual property rights are a genuine barrier for accessibility of COVID-19-related medicines and technologies,” a Commission spokesperson told POLITICO.
“A waiver to the IP rights set out in the TRIPS Agreement is an extreme measure to address an unproven problem,” added <https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-statement-to-the-trips-council-item-15?> the U.K. representative.
A well-functioning IP rights system system is part of the solution rather than an obstacle, they said.
With eight opposing members, and no consensus, the TRIPS Council is likely to revert the issue to the next meeting in early 2021, a Geneva trade official said. “In the meantime, delegations could hold meetings in order to find common ground.”
 

Arthur Stamoulis
Citizens Trade Campaign
(202) 494-8826




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