In a recent 144 page encyclical letter [Link], Pope Benedict XVI has come out against overly strong patent rights, particularly in the field of health care. According to his Holiness, these favor the rich, developed countries at the expense of the poor.
“On the part of rich countries there is excessive zeal for protecting knowledge through an unduly rigid assertion of the right to intellectual property, especially in the field of health care.”
For more details, see http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2009/07/the-pope-on-patents.html?cid=6a00d8341c588553ef011570f1ce62970c
The USPTO take a somewhat different stand and are apparently working on educating the public and presumably the Pope on how patents promotes knowledge and human development. It is unlikely that drug development companies will develop drugs without patenting them as a charitable action.
There have been some cases of free patent distribution or subsidizing of drugs in the third world. Sometimes drug researchers put patents into the public domain, for a recent example, see http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2009/07/09/alnylam_to_add_rnai_patents_to_pool/ Even without that, the richer countries do subsidize drugs and health care in the developing world through the World Health Organization, medical assistance and the like. Even treatments that are no longer patent protected that were developed 25 years ago, would would probably not have developed without first world investment.
Anyway, I do wonder if the Pope is merely speaking out against attempts to provide further patent term extensions, is commenting on the EU probe and recent US investigations into alleged deals between the generics and the pharma patent holders not to challenge pharmaceutical patents, or, if whilst in Israel recently, did his holiness visit Teva and Unipharm?
For the pope on his encycle, see http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/ksc/lowres/kscn160l.jpg
and
http://www.splendoroftruth.com/curtjester/archives/008801.php
and for those that don’t know the joke: http://www.gentle.org/News/article/sid=118.html
