The European Commission proposed on Friday 4 June to use flexibilities in the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs), such as compulsory licences, to ensure that IPRs do not impede the production and distribution of vaccines and therapies for Covid-19 in the countries that need them most.
The EU institution does not see the outright lifting of patents on Covid-19 vaccines, as proposed by India and South Africa, as a miracle answer to the current...