Video conference of the Working Group on Licences and Technical Contracts

In light of the current debate on suspending patent protection for COVID-19 vaccines, the experts of the Working Group on Licences and Technical Contracts held a video conference in mid-May to exchange views on the issue. They decided to prepare an assessment outlining the negative repercussions of suspending patents, making it clear that loosening restrictions on intellectual property would not solve the problem of global vaccine supply. The Working Group sent English, French, German and Spanish versions of the paper to members of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA), ahead of the Committee’s debate on the issue on 25 May 2021. The vote on a European Parliament resolution is expected to take place in June 2021. You can find the German and English versions of the paper under “Verschiedenes” in the Biothek on BIO Deutschland’s website.