The rapid development of new COVID-19 vaccines and treatments over the past year is a triumph of innovation. Billions of vaccine doses are being manufactured and should be distributed to all adults globally over the next 18 months. But some argue that suspending intellectual property (IP) rights to allow any company to manufacture vaccines will mean faster access for developing countries. These arguments have culminated in a proposal at the World Trade Organization for a temporary global waiver on COVID-19-related IP rights.

Please join the Macdonald-Laurier Institute for a discussion on the role of IP rights in vaccine and therapeutic R&D, manufacturing, and preparedness for future pandemics. A panel of international experts will discuss the best ways to scale up mass vaccine and therapeutic manufacturing and examine the implications that would arise from a global waiver of IP rights.

Webinar Participants

- David Kappos, Former Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
- Mark Agnew, Senior Vice President, Policy and Government Relations at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
- Mark Schultz, Director of the Intellectual Property and Technology Law Program at the University of Akron School of Law
- Kristina Acri, Professor of economics and business, Colorado College
- Philip Stevens, Executive Director, Geneva Network (moderator)