One Day National IPR Webinar - PATENTING OF COVID-19 VACCINES : ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

15-11-2021

ONE DAY NATIONAL IPR Webinar

November 13, 2021

Time- 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.

PATENTING OF COVID-19 VACCINES: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

CONCEPT NOTE OF THE WEBINAR:

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the limelight the importance of the discussion on patenting of pharmaceutical products, especially, the COVID-19 vaccine. The all-time debate of the access to public health and private property rights is once again in conflict. The necessity of patents is undisputed, but at the same time, where to draw the line of demarcation is still an arguable topic. Whether access to public health be jeopardized to facilitate patenting is a question which is not yet decided.

On one hand where IP serves as a tool to incentivise drug manufactures, on the other hand several health experts and activists contended that WTO's IP rules has limited the developing and under-developed nations' access to critical medicines in such trying times. At the WTO, developing countries led by India and South Africa, in the latter half of 2020, had put forward the proposal that IP protections for Covid-19 vaccines and other medical products be waived off temporarily. Currently this serves as one of the major points of discussion as to whether to suspend such IP protection amid the pandemic.

The webinar on this subject has aimed at providing knowledge for analysing the legal issues amongst the students of law and thereby understanding the current scenario in a better way.

RESOURCE PERSONS:

1. Prof. (Dr.)M. Padmavati- Former Dean of Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law, IIT Kharagpur, and is currently a Professor at Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law, IIT Kharagpur, West Bengal, India. Topic covered: "Patents, Pandemic and Public Health".
2. Prof. (Dr.) I. G.Rathish- A registered Indian Patent Agent and is currently an Assistant Professor at the Inter University Centre for Intellectual Property Rights Studies, CUSAT, Kerala. Topic covered: "Vaccine Inequity and Patent Barriers".

WEBINAR ORGANISED BY:

1. Ditipriya Dutta Chowdhury (Assistant Professor of Law, Indian Institute of Legal Studies, Siliguri, West Bengal. (SEMINAR CONVENER))
2. Karun Sanjaya (Assistant Professor of Law, Indian Institute of Legal Studies, Siliguri, West Bengal. (SEMINAR CO-CONVENER))