Organizations are pledging to make their intellectual property available free of charge for use in ending the COVID-19 pandemic. These organizations include Amazon, Intel, Facebook, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HBE), IBM, Microsoft, and Sandia National Laboratories.
According to opencovidpledge.org, “Immediate action is required to halt the COVID-19 Pandemic and treat those it has affected. It is a practical and moral imperative that every tool we have at our disposal be applied to develop and deploy technologies on a massive scale without impediment.”
We applaud the companies that have made all of their patents freely available to the public for use in fighting COVID-19. Their action grants temporary licenses to the public for use in research, development and deployment of medical equipment, IT products (including software) and other patented technologies.
We would like to see Pfizer, Merck, AbbVie and other giant pharmaceutical companies added to that list.
According to the Open COVID website, the Open COVID Pledge was “launched by an international coalition of legal experts, scientists, and technologists, is an effort that encourages companies, universities, and researchers to make their intellectual property available free of charge for use in ending the COVID-19 pandemic and minimizing the impact of the disease. Those who make the Pledge help ensure that uncertainty around intellectual property rights will not slow or impede urgently needed solutions in this critical time.
The Open COVID Pledge calls on organizations around the world to make their patents and copyrights freely available in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pledge was developed by the Open COVID Coalition, an international group of scientists and lawyers seeking to accelerate the rapid development and deployment of diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics, medical equipment and software solutions in this urgent public health crisis. To make or support the Pledge, visit https://opencovidpledge.org or contact opencovidpledge@gmail.com.”
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