Biden Should Respect Vaccine Makers’ Patent Rights

The silver lining to Biden’s decision to waive the patent protections on the vaccines is that it has energized voices from both sides of the political spectrum to criticize the decision and defend and proclaim the importance of I.P. Some Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the waiver, the Wall Street Journal editorial page skewered the decision, and the Washington Post editorial page — not exactly a voice of conservatism — said the move was not the way to help poor countries get the vaccine. They added that, “[i]t is also true that stripping away their intellectual property now could discourage future innovation.” And, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a center-left technology organization has a long report out why the decision is bad and the 10 actions that would be not only better, but more effective.