Democratizing Knowledge: Transforming Intellectual Property and Research and Development

The COVID-19 public health crisis has demonstrated how deficiencies in our approach to intellectual property (IP)—a unique set of rights and protections that applies to the creations of the human intellect—and research and development (R&D) imperil the health, safety, and livelihoods of millions of people around the world. As has happened all too often in the past, the choice to prioritize corporate profits and an exclusionary version of IP rights and R&D over affordable medicines and medical supplies are proving not only to be deadly, but also threatens to dramatically increase economic, geographic, and social inequality. The alternative proposals and policies to combat these trends can be grouped into three categories: reforming existing law and approaches, asserting public control, and establishing commons-based approaches. The design, implementation, and governance of IP and R&D are vital to the future policies related to these two critical pillars of the intangible economy.