OperatesHeavyMachinery
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2002
- Messages
- 838
There are sound economic and social arguments being made on either side. There has to be a middle ground.
Oh, wait, I think we've already got that middle ground. Patents for medicines are rather short-lived. I would not be too opposed to limiting their length further (or at least being a bit more strict about the loopholes companies use to extend patents) in cases of epidemics.
But any cutting-edge technology must be reasonably protected from economic parasitism if we are to have it develop further, the companies who pour money into life-saving medicines should not be hung out to dry to satisfy some Marxist vision of the needy masses. They should be protected in ways that encourage them to develop better drugs as the older generations of drugs pass from patent status and can be sold cheaply to stave off epidemics.
Africa simply cannot afford to be on the cutting edge of technology.
Oh, wait, I think we've already got that middle ground. Patents for medicines are rather short-lived. I would not be too opposed to limiting their length further (or at least being a bit more strict about the loopholes companies use to extend patents) in cases of epidemics.
But any cutting-edge technology must be reasonably protected from economic parasitism if we are to have it develop further, the companies who pour money into life-saving medicines should not be hung out to dry to satisfy some Marxist vision of the needy masses. They should be protected in ways that encourage them to develop better drugs as the older generations of drugs pass from patent status and can be sold cheaply to stave off epidemics.
Africa simply cannot afford to be on the cutting edge of technology.
