PATENT laws do little or nothing to help poor countries dig their way out of poverty, and could even make matters worse.
That’s the controversial conclusion of an independent commission on intellectual property rights appointed by the British government. Its report, launched in Geneva this week, contains 50 radical recommendations to help make these rights work to the advantage of the poor. Britain’s Department for International Development has already promised to look hard at the suggestions, but it’s unclear whether the rest of the international community will listen.
The World Trade Organization has persuaded most countries to sign an intellectual…
