Signatories include organisations in South Africa, Kenya, and Cote d’Ivoire
Researchers, libraries and other institutions have called on the World Intellectual Property Organization to support efforts to combat Covid-19.
A 3 April open letter was signed by 135 organisations, including organisations based in Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya and South Africa as well as several individual researchers and academics from the continent.
The signatories call on WIPO to ensure that IP is used as a “support, and not a hindrance” to efforts tackling the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences.
“Schools, universities, libraries, archives, museums and research institutes across the world, forced to close their buildings, are transferring materials online and providing remote access, but only where copyright laws permit,” the letter states.
The signatories want WIPO to support proposals for a “global pool of rights in Covid-19-related technology and data” managed by the World Health Organization. to ensure equitable access to potential products and treatments.
The letter urges WIPO to encourage its members to take advantage of IP flexibilities for education, research and experimental purposes. It also calls for IP rights holders to waive them for these purposes, including for data mining and artificial intelligence work.