HuffPost: Progressives Ask Biden Not To Name Pharma Allies To Top Patent Posts
An array of progressive groups sent President Joe Biden a letter on Monday, calling for him to resist efforts to fill key intellectual property posts with allies of the pharmaceutical industry or other patent hawks.
The letter, spearheaded by the Demand Progress Education Fund, wants Biden’s appointments to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the National Institute for Standards and Technology to reflect the concerns of antimonopoly advocates and patients’ and consumers’ rights groups ― rather than just brand-name drug companies, Silicon Valley tech titans and other business interests that rely heavily on intellectual property regimes.
The coalition’s message, which is also addressed to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, praises Biden for his decision to support a waiver of the patents and other trade-related aspects of intellectual property for COVID-19 vaccines. It also asks him to continue crafting intellectual property policy in that spirit.
“A willingness to be appropriately flexible around intellectual property enforcement during times of great crisis must be understood to be an aspect of pandemic preparedness,” the letter says. “We need people in these posts who will understand consideration of global health to be a serious aspect of their charges, and who can be expected to strike the right balance on intellectual property rights in times of great global distress.”
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These advocates, including antitrust experts at the American Economic Liberties Project, which also signed the letter, are eager for Democrats to begin prioritizing affordable medicine and other social causes not just through legislation, but through executive branch appointments as well.