IP, research and health in developing areas

A recent press conference reports on the progress of a WIPO and Geneva International Academic Network project launched in 2004. The project aims to encourage health research institutions in developing countries working on diseases relevant there, such as malaria. A key goal is to enable the institutions to obtain maximum benefit from their work - through IP and licensing.

Such projects are an interesting example of the complexities of IP discourse. Even in respect of countries where the TRIPS obligations are under attack, there are initiatives very much based on the value of IP and of commercialising. The involvement of bodies such as WIPO inevitably meant IP would lie at the heart of this project. However, the commitment of others, such as health institutions, to the project is a reminder of the need for subtlely (shown by many, but not all) in considering IP and the consequences of its commercialisation and enforcement.