June 22nd, 2009

No surprise here: Chavez does away with patents on drugs

Posted in  Intellectual Property 
Author: Tom Giovanetti || Location: Lewisville, Texas, USA

In a move perfectly consistent with his Marxist, anti-property rights philosophy, Venezuela's big pappi Hugo Chavez is going to do away with patent rights on (certain) pharmaceuticals.

Commerce Minister Eduardo Samán announced on Saturday that “patents have become a barrier to production” and stymie access to medicine, placing the interests of multinational pharmaceutical companies ahead of the welfare and needs of the Venezuelan people. With President Hugo Chávez calling patents a “trap,” the government will now revise its patent system, annulling certain pharmaceutical patents and allowing domestic manufacturers to produce licensed medicines. This action follows a recent reform in intellectual property laws authorized by President Chavez.

I'm sure all of Chavez's fellow-travelers at Knowledge Ecology International, the South Centre, the Third World Network, IP Justice and Consumers International will be delighted to see that the revolution is proceeding apace. Mostly, though, I'm just waiting for them to all move to Venezuela so they can all enjoy the full fruits of the Revolution.

Don't count on it. They'd prefer to live in a capitalist country and enjoy all the benefits of the market economy rather than actually go live their rhetoric.

Thus far, countries that have done away with patents on pharmaceuticals include the overtly Marxist countries, those run by military dictatorships (Thailand), and failing Socialist paradises. Great company to be running in, guys.