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Suspending Covid Vaccine Patent Rights. What Rights Do Patents Give You Anyway?
IN THE NEWS:
Suspension of U.S. Patent rights is an extraordinary step. And rightfully so. It may have a chilling effect on future private and public collaborations. To President Biden’s credit, he struggled with his decision to support the international proposal to waive Covid vaccine intellectual property protections, including patent rights.
But what is a patent right anyway? Did you know that a patent doesn’t give you the right to make, use or sell a product? And if not, then what rights does a patent confer? And how did our country come to have patents anyway? And what role do patents play in the economic and innovation supremacy of our country? So many questions!
For answers to these questions, we spoke with Mr. Steve Pepe and Dr. Sam Brenner, both of whom are patent attorneys at the law firm of Ropes and Gray as well as part-time university professors. Their bios are provided in the details of the post and podcast caption for this week’s Peel.
In a fun podcast conversation, the two gentlemen share with us the complicated history of America’s patent system. This podcast is available on Apple or Spotify, and on ThePeel.news homepage.
