Patent pool
Topic: International Trade Policy, WTO and Intellectual Property · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A patent pool is an arrangement where several patent holders license their patents together, to each other or to outside firms. One pooled licence replaces many separate deals. This cuts costs and speeds up access, especially to medicines in poorer countries.
Example
The Medicines Patent Pool was set up by UNITAID in 2010. It has licensed HIV and COVID drugs to Indian generic makers, so they can legally produce low-cost versions for developing countries.
Don't confuse with
- Patent thicket: this is a dense tangle of overlapping patents that blocks use. A patent pool is a voluntary way to ease access by bundling licences.
- Compulsory licence: this is granted by the government without the patent holder's consent. A pool is voluntary.
Related concepts
- Intellectual property rights
- TRIPS
- Patent
- Evergreening of patents
- Pre-grant opposition
- Compulsory licensing
- Parallel import
- Data exclusivity
- TRIPS-plus provisions
- Patent thicket