The informal meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council today, July 6, 2021, focuses international attention once more on prospects for a waiver of the TRIPS Agreement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regardless of whether an actual TRIPS waiver ultimately comes to pass, the real significance of these efforts lies in the increased focus they have placed on the role of IP and trade secrets in improving access and affordability, and scaling-up of manufacturing and supply of vaccines and other health-related technologies. These conversations have introduced the possibility of a complete rethinking of the relationship between IP, innovation, conservation, and access.

The full blog post on Harvard Law School' s Bill of Health Blog is available here: https://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2021/07/06/the-prospects-for-an-ip-waiver-under-the-trips-agreement/