The Negative Impact of Intellectual Property Protection on Vaccine Accessibility
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RIS BIB ENDNOTEData publikacji: 17.06.2026
Copernican Journal of Law, 2026, No. 4 (1/2026), s. 17-31
https://doi.org/10.4467/30718481CJL.26.003.23653Autorzy
The Negative Impact of Intellectual Property Protection on Vaccine Accessibility
This article examines the tension between intellectual property protection and vaccine accessibility, demonstrating how patent law and trade secret regimes impede equitable access to vaccines as global public goods. Through analysis of international legal frameworks and recent pandemic case studies (Ebola, Zika, COVID-19), the research reveals that stringent IP protections create monopolistic pricing, suppress competition, and enable concealment of critical health information. While acknowledging patents’ role in incentivizing innovation, the article argues that uniform twenty-year patent terms and indefinite trade secret protection contradict vaccines’ essential social function. The study proposes reforms including investment-proportional patent durations, excluding vaccines from trade secret protection, implementing price controls, and establishing state subsidy programs. The article concludes that balancing innovation incentives with universal health access requires reconceptualizing vaccines as social goods requiring specialized legal regimes that prioritize fundamental human rights over commercial interests.
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Informacje: Copernican Journal of Law, 2026, No. 4 (1/2026), s. 17-31
Typ artykułu: Oryginalny artykuł naukowy
Publikacja: 17.06.2026
Status artykułu: Otwarte
Licencja: CC BY-ND 4.0
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