ifo Schnelldienst 08/2021: Patent Protection

Patent Protection: Stimulus for Innovation or Hindrance to Production?

The US announcement of its support for the call to suspend patents on Covid-19 vaccines sparked a heated discussion on how to improve global vaccine supply. Do patents hinder the availability of Covid-19 vaccines, and would their suspension be an appropriate tool to boost vaccine production? Could this give poorer countries faster access to vaccines?

With contributions from:

• Herbert Zech, Do We Need Patent Law?
• Stefan Wagner, Patents – The Worst Incentive System for Innovation, except for All the Others?
• Thomas Fackler, Patent Protection: Between Research Incentive and Obstacle to Follow-on Innovations
• Reto M. Hilty, Covid Vaccines for All: What States Can Do – And Why Suspending Patents Won’t Do Any Good
• Iris Plöger, Softening of Patent Protection – An Aberration
• Michael Stolpe, How Could Global Vaccine Production Be Increased?