Trade Secret and Access to Medicine
Intellectual property seeks to achieve certain objectives such as disclosure, dissemination of information and creation of innovations. However, trade secrets though being considered as an IP does not fulfill some of these objectives. The use of such a property right in areas where public interest is largely involved carries huge implications. The pharmaceutical sector is one such industry where trade secrets have been used to veil information which is vital to the general public. When these rights get imbibed in binding international instruments like the TRIPS agreement, it becomes more difficult for countries with less bargaining power to shape their public policies according to their domestic interests.
Trade secret is the prime reason behind vaccine and biotherapeutic monopoly, which is currently manifested as COVID19 vaccine inequity. Intellectual property, especially trade secrets are seen as the biggest hurdle in this context and therefore requires appropriate checks and balances.
In this context, the DPIIT Chair on IPR of the Inter University Centre for IPR Studies, CUSAT and the Third World Network (TWN) are organising a webinar to discuss about the protection afforded to trade secrets and the public interest involved in it. Details of the webinar are as follows:
Moderator
Naveen Gopal, DPIIT IPR Chair, Inter University Centre for IPR Studies, CUSAT
Speakers
- David S. Levine, Elon University School of Law: Trade Secrets and Public Policy
- K.M. Gopakumar, Third World Network: Trade Secrets and Access to Covid-19 Drugs
When?
Sep 22, 2021 07:00 PM Mumbai, Kolkata, New Delhi
Topic
Trade Secret and Access to Medicine
Register in advance:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8Iq3a_wWTVi8KPPG-Sj8gw
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
