The European Union supports compulsory licensing to boost the production of Corona vaccines

The European Commission called on Friday for compulsory licensing as a way to boost production of coronavirus vaccines around the world and achieve equal distribution, but declined to support removing patent protection altogether.

"Our priority is to boost production, diversify manufacturing and share vaccines," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter.

Compulsory licensing is an authorization granted by the government to a third party to produce a patented product or perform operations for that protected product without the express consent of the patent holder, allowing the government to override the patent holder's exclusive right to prevent others from using his patented inventions.

The European Union's executive arm has been in an embarrassing position recently for opposing the idea of ​​suspending more comprehensive intellectual property rights, as India, South Africa and the United States demonstrate the need to address vaccine shortages, as the gap between rich and poor countries is widening.

The commission laid out alternative measures on Friday in a proposal to WTO members, which will also be discussed by G7 leaders next week.

Among these measures is compulsory licensing, which allows governments to grant licenses to manufacture a patented product or use a process without the permission of the patent owner, the European Commission said in a press release.

However, voluntary licensing with the consent of the patent holders would be much better.

Both can be done within the framework of the World Trade Organization's Intellectual Property Treaty.

The other two measures stipulate that rich countries such as the United States and Britain lift export restrictions on doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and boost production capacity in low-income countries.

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