Podcasts Technology Explain to Shane The future of IP protections for COVID-19 vaccines and beyond (with Michael Rosen)

The future of IP protections for COVID-19 vaccines and beyond (with Michael Rosen)

Published: July 6, 2021, 10 a.m.

Intellectual property (IP) has been a hot topic due to the Biden administration\u2019s support of a proposal to waive the World Trade Organization\u2019s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Some argue IP protections incentivized vaccine manufacturers to produce what are now the world\u2019s antidotes to the pandemic. But others say these protections are slowing down global vaccination and distribution rates \u2014 especially in the developing world. Why did the administration take this stance, and what might this signal about its approach to other IP issues?

On this episode, Shane is joined by AEI Adjunct Fellow Michael Rosen \u2014 a frequent author on IP-related incentives for innovation, and on patent reform in Congress and at the US Patent and Trademark Office. He joins the podcast to discuss the state of IP policy, what the administration\u2019s TRIPS waiver stance means for the future of innovation and public health, and how this issue acts as a proxy for the challenges of IP innovation in technology.