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Today’s blog post began as a discussion about the debate surrounding intellectual property protections for the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, but, in the course of reading about the conflict between pro-patent pharmaceutical companies and those who promote public access to the vaccine, the discussion evolved into a reflection on the development of the Internet. We are providing links to some good resources about the controversy around vaccine patent protections at the conclusion of this piece, but the focus of this blog post is actually the development of the world’s greatest vehicle for communication without which modern life is unimaginable – the World Wide Web.
In answering the question, “Who owns the patent to the polio vaccine?,” Jonas Salk famously said that it belongs to the people. “Could you patent the sun?,” he replied. Tim Berners Lee, the pioneering computer scientist who developed the World Wide Web, might have said the same. His vision was clear – access to the Internet via the World Wide Web should be open and transparent. Creating an egalitarian space free from the influence of private interests was central to his design. Today, this vision is being challenged by private companies who prioritize profit over the public good. Advocates for network neutrality are pushing back. Regulating telecommunications companies and their control of online data streams is necessary, they argue, to ensure equal access to websites, applications, and online content. Similar arguments are being made with respect to the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Some say that, in the interest of global public health, the vaccine should belong to the people and made widely available to all who want it. Millions of public dollars are being spent to fund research for a vaccine, so, as the argument goes, any medical discovery made in the pursuit of a vaccine should be shared. Pharmaceutical companies argue otherwise. They stand to profit greatly from the sale of a vaccine for which there will be an overwhelming global demand. Clearly, the interests of the public and those of pharmaceutical companies are greatly at odds…or are they?
Apart from concerns about who should have access to either vaccines or the World Wide Web, there is a debate about what is created and what is discovered. The World Wide Web is clearly a creation, invented by a brilliant mind who shared it with the entire globe. The genesis of vaccines, however, is not as clear. Is a vaccine created or discovered? Teasing out the answer to this question is central to the discussion around patenting a vaccine or giving it away for the benefit of all.
To explore the vaccine dispute further, see links below.
The History of Vaccines: A Timeline — The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Whoever Invents a Coronavirus Vaccine will Control the Patent – and, Importantly, Who Gets to Use It — The Conversation
A Covid-19 Vaccine Will Need Equitable, Global Distribution — Harvard Business Review
Coronavirus: Everyone Wins When Patents are Pooled — Nature
The Covid-19 Vaccine Should Belong to the People — The Nation
The Way We Produce and Patent Drugs Will Kill COVID-19 Patients — Jacobin