Intellectual property rights in times of crisis

Abstract

The latest in the esteemed ATRIP series, this discerning book considers how the global Intellectual Property (IP) system fared in response to the unprecedented global crisis accompanying the Covid-19 pandemic and what lessons can be learned and applied to other crises. The book investigates varying experiences from the pandemic, providing a unique prism for assessing how IP balances competing requirements of innovation and access in times of crisis. The chapters, from an impressive array of contributors, examine the role and function of the rules on patents, copyright and trade secrets both in securing vaccines and in delivering much-needed access to cultural and educational material in a locked-down world, so doing through social, legal and political lenses. Providing novel insight into the underlying principles of IP and how these cope under extreme pressures, Intellectual Property Rights in Times of Crisis will be an ideal read for scholars and students of intellectual property as well as those with an interest in health law and disaster law and health care law.