WTO members take up TRIPS talks, consider schedule

World Trade Organization members this week again took up the negotiations to expand a COVID-19-related intellectual property decision – agreed to at the 12th ministerial conference – following a monthlong August break, debating how to organize the talks, which are supposed to conclude by mid-December. The MC12 TRIPS decision, referring to the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, broadened exceptions and flexibilities in the TRIPS agreement to allow developing countries to issue compulsory licenses in order to facilitate...