The COVID-19 pandemic has posed some unusual problems for states
and markets all over the world. While medical science and
pharmaceutical professionals continue their search for the best
drug or vaccine solution for the pandemic, one challenge lies in
how this can be equitably distributed to the global population
without compromising on various interests. Patent protection lies
at the heart of this debate, and the push-and-pull of public
interest versus commercial interests takes centrestage; while the
former is of paramount importance, the latter cannot be completely
ignored either.
Both governments and private firms are aware of these
challenges. Already, considering the unprecedented nature of this
pandemic, some companies are prepared to forego their patent rights
entirely, and have publicly stated that they do not intend to seek
patent protection for any solutions they may come up with (the US
company AbbVie has decided to not enforce patents for its
