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<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face="Comic Sans MS">I commented only on the
economics. The political side is that the WIPO as a (old) UN agency tries
to put some counterweight on the scale to the US-dominated World Trade
Organisation, that imposed the "TRIPS Agreement" on many nations. The deal
is: more intellectual property vs. easier acces to the world market. TRIPS
introduced in 1995 a general obligation for member states to allow comprehensive
medicine patenting. Nowadays, increasingly bilateral "TRUPS plus" agreements
are </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face="Comic Sans MS">are concluded, with the
misleading designation "free trade agreements". But the WIPO is revived by its
new Australian chairman (who replaced a questionable Sudanese who forged his
birth date). Leading "lesser devloped countries" like Brazil get ever more
smarter to play the political game.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face="Comic Sans MS">Incidentally, the TRIPS
agreement contains several exceptions. The "globalisation" negotiations
continue. The "Doha declaration" cares for access to medicines in lesser
developed countries.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face="Comic Sans MS">In March I attended a
WIPO"meeting on the "Stainding Committee on the Law of Patents", representing a
NGO that opposes software patents, and I made some pretty strong statements
about that. But it seems that the international community (more than 100
nations!) is more intersted in toics such as medicines. And climate change.
Allegedly developing nations (such as China) are reluctant to agree on CO2
reduction measures because the related technology will be heavily patented, so
it is handled as a business: profit maximisation instead of CO2
minimisation.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face="Comic Sans MS"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face="Comic Sans MS">There is a major role for
politicians and activists in this field, notably from Brazil. The trick
basically is simple: make sure that the general public knows what is happening,
and don't leave the political process to one-sided
lobbyists! </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face="Comic Sans MS"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>private: Johan Willem Frisostraat 149, 2713 CC Zoetermeer, The Netherlands
telephone: +31 79 316 3126, GSM ("Handy") +31 6 4988 6490, fax +31 79 316
7221</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=rodripe@gmail.com href="mailto:rodripe@gmail.com">Rodrigo Pereira</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=pp.international.general@lists.pirateweb.net
href="mailto:pp.international.general@lists.pirateweb.net">Pirate Parties
International -- General Talk</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, June 17, 2009 6:49
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [pp.int.general] The real
'party with a difference'</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>A few years ago, Brazil broke a few patents on medicines such
as medicines to treat HIV mainly. There was no damage to industries that began
to compete simply producing more types of drugs. It is possible that many
companies have expanded their profits by breaking the patent because it
improved its market.<BR><BR>When I go to a pharmacy to buy an aspirin in
Brazil, I can buy the product from Bayer or other with similar costs that on
average half the value. This is very important in a poor country like Brazil.
Bayer continues to sell its product and sells well because invest heavily in
marketing.<BR><BR>Rodrigo<BR>Brazilian Pirate Party<BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>2009/6/17 Reinier Bakels <SPAN dir=ltr><<A
href="mailto:r.bakels@planet.nl">r.bakels@planet.nl</A>></SPAN><BR>
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class=gmail_quote>
<BLOCKQUOTE
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class=gmail_quote>Actually Benkler in Wealth of Networks surveys
econometric studies investigating the nexus between patents and innovation
and reports there seems to be no correlation, which induces him to support
open source also for pharma. Altho it must be said neoschumpeterians (Dosi
et al.) have long argued there is (thus justifying temporary monopoly
granted by patents as reward for R&D).<BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>The typical
story is "... in most industries, patents are nmot really needed, such as
software. BUT pharma development requires *zillions* of dollars - so in this
field patents are indispensable".<BR><BR>Reality is that the pharma industry
is in crisis *because of* patents. So there *is* a correlation, but it is
negative. Pharma development is to a large extent financed by public money
(either directly or e.g. via academic hospitals), and allegedly most of the
patent income is spent to promotion (bribing doctors ...) And perhaps even
more importantly, the major pharma firms are so focussed on shareholder
value, that they devise all kinds of tricks to prolong the life of their
patents - which appears more attractive than engaging into risky new drug
development. Fighting generics with all possible means is one aspect of such
strategies (see the recent seizures of drugs in transit at Amsterdam airport
- smart pharma industry representatives managed to get legislation to be
adopted that even (allegedly) prohibit pills to be transported from Brazil
to Africa - which are legal in both countries, just not in transit!). Other
actions incllude the obstruction of FDA-like agencies to be established in
African countries: they may give generic medicines a *safe* image - which
they want to avoid.<BR>The patent system also favours medicines for
"profitable" diseases: many patentients, rich countries, and chronical
diseases. My father died of pancreas carcinoma, but that would be a
commercially unattractive disease, because the average life expectation
after diagnosis of this type of cancer is 7 weeks - not enough to please
shareholders.<BR><BR>Lately we talk a lot about "perverse incentives" - in
view of the present financial crisis. The patent system, in particular in
relation to health care. is s dreadful example of "perverse incentives".
Incidentally, patent portfolios represent a "patent bubble" that may burst
one day, just like the financial bubble.<BR><BR>reinier
<BR>____________________________________________________<BR>Pirate Parties
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