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Pathogen Genomes As Global Public Goods (And Why They Should Not Be Patented), Jorge L. Contreras
Pathogen Genomes As Global Public Goods (And Why They Should Not Be Patented), Jorge L. Contreras
Utah Law Faculty Scholarship
During past viral outbreaks, researchers rushed to patent genomic sequences of the viruses as they were discovered, leading to disputes and delays in research coordination. Yet similar disputes did not occur with respect to the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. With respect to COVID-19, global research collaboration occurred rapidly, leading to the identification of new variants, the ability to track the spread of the disease, and the development of vaccines and therapeutics in record time. The lack of patenting of SARS-CoV-2 is likely due the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling in Association for Molecular Pathology v. …
Covid-19 As An Example Of Why Genomic Sequence Data Should Remain Patent Ineligible, Jorge L. Contreras
Covid-19 As An Example Of Why Genomic Sequence Data Should Remain Patent Ineligible, Jorge L. Contreras
Utah Law Faculty Scholarship
The researchers who determined the genomic sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus did not seek to patent it, but instead released it in the publicly-accessible GenBank data repository. Their release of this critical data enabled the scientific community to mobilize rapidly and conduct research on a range of diagnostic, vaccine, and therapeutic applications based on the viral RNA sequence. Had the researchers sought patent protection for their discovery, as earlier research teams had during the SARS, H1N1 and H5N1 outbreaks, global research relating to COVID-19 would have been less efficient and more costly. One of the reasons that patents are no …
Understanding The Ethics Of Natural Experiments In A Pandemic, Leslie Francis
Understanding The Ethics Of Natural Experiments In A Pandemic, Leslie Francis
Utah Law Faculty Scholarship
Pandemics invite natural experiments: testing hypotheses through observing the effects of interventions without manipulating exposure to the intervention. With novel infections like COVID-19 that spread rapidly and widely, knowledge gaps may be extensive. Quick action may be necessary and randomized trials impracticable if not downright impossible. But what can justify such interventions ethically, given that they are in some sense widescale experiments upon unaware members of the public who have no opportunity to choose not to participate? And what ethical limits to them should there be?
The Open Covid Pledge: Design, Implementation And Preliminary Assessment Of An Intellectual Property Commons, Jorge L. Contreras
The Open Covid Pledge: Design, Implementation And Preliminary Assessment Of An Intellectual Property Commons, Jorge L. Contreras
Utah Law Faculty Scholarship
Early during the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of widely-publicized incidents gave rise to concerns that holders of patents and other intellectual property (IP) rights could hinder the development, manufacture and distribution of essential medical devices, protective equipment and biomedical products. The global response to these concerns was swift and included the issuance of compulsory licensing orders by several national governments, as well as the proposal of a technology pool by the World Health Organization (WHO). Alongside these efforts, a group of scientific, engineering and legal experts created a lightweight, open framework under which IP holders could voluntarily pledge not to …
Water Is Life: Law, Systemic Racism, And Water Security In Indian Country, Heather Tanana, Julie Combs, Aila Hoss
Water Is Life: Law, Systemic Racism, And Water Security In Indian Country, Heather Tanana, Julie Combs, Aila Hoss
Utah Law Faculty Scholarship
The 21st Century has been marked by significant advancements in technology, from travel to Mars and self-driving cars to smartphones and bitcoin. And yet, at the same time, hundreds of thousands of Native Americans live without access to safe, clean and reliable drinking water. By some estimates, 48% of households on Indian reservations do not have clean water or adequate sanitation. This lack of access has been highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic, but it is not a new issue. Native American communities have long suffered inequities stemming from colonization and perpetrated by federal policy. While the pandemic has devastated many …
Stereotypes, Sexism And Superhuman Faculty, Teneille R. Brown
Stereotypes, Sexism And Superhuman Faculty, Teneille R. Brown
Utah Law Faculty Scholarship
This symposium article explores how law professors with caretaking responsibilities struggled so greatly during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because legal academia prioritizes masculine ideals of competence over warmth, faculty were expected to suppress their emotions and mental health needs in order to maintain the appearance of competence. While students were allowed to be seen as vulnerable individuals needing accommodations, we did not extend this same compassion to our faculty colleagues. To explain why the treatment was so disparate, I incorporated existing research on the stereotype content model (SCM) and psychological theories of dehumanization. These theories help to …
Pledging Intellectual Property For Covid-19, Jorge L. Contreras
Pledging Intellectual Property For Covid-19, Jorge L. Contreras
Utah Law Faculty Scholarship
COVID-19 differs from other recent public health crises with respect to its sudden onset, its rapid spread, the lack of any known vaccine or cure and resulting shortages of critical medical equipment. The convergence of these factors has prompted both governments and IPR holders around the world to seek ways to increase the availability of IPR necessary to combat the pandemic. Governmental compulsory licensing, IPR pools and voluntary IPR pledges have all been used in the past, though in situations that differ in important respects from the COVID-19 pandemic. Each is designed to result, to a greater or lesser degree, …
Expanding Access To Patents For Covid-19, Jorge L. Contreras
Expanding Access To Patents For Covid-19, Jorge L. Contreras
Utah Law Faculty Scholarship
Two competing and linked sets of goals must be addressed when considering patent policy in response to a public health emergency. First is the allocation of existing resources among potential users (hospitals, patients, etc.); second is the creation of new technologies over time (innovation). Patents provide financial incentives to develop new technologies. Yet shortages of patented products often plague crisis response. In the case of COVID-19, allocative goals, particularly satisfying demand for patented medical products (e.g., vaccines, ventilators, PPE, and test kits), may be achieved through governmental interventions such as march-in and governmental use rights (compulsory licensing). But in cases …
Upholding Tribal Sovereignty And Promoting Tribal Public Health Capacity During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Heather Tanana, Aila Hoss
Upholding Tribal Sovereignty And Promoting Tribal Public Health Capacity During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Heather Tanana, Aila Hoss
Utah Law Faculty Scholarship
Tribes are sovereign nations with authorities and responsibilities over their land and people. This inherent sovereign authority includes the right to promote and protect the health and welfare of their communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought national attention to the health inequities experienced by American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The sovereign legal authority for Tribes to respond to this pandemic has received less attention. This Chapter describes some, but not all, of the urgent legal issues impacting Tribal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It describes and identifies gaps in federal Indian health policies and highlights how Tribes have exercised …