KEI Comments on NIH Exclusive License to Norwegian Firm Zelluna

(Update: The NIH provided a response to our comments on April 15, 2021.) On Wednesday April 14, 2021, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) filed comments with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) regarding the “Prospective Grant of an Exclusive Patent License:… Continue Reading

Fissures on intellectual property, C-TAP and transparency emerge in WHO local production negotiations

On 4 December 2020, Ethiopia submitted a Zero Draft resolution to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Strengthening Local Production of Medicines and Other Health Technologies to Improve Access – WHO Resolution on Strengthening Local Production of Medicines and Other… Continue Reading

$1.3 Billion Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Development Contract Contains Broad Redactions Relating to Public’s Rights in Inventions

On March 31, 2020, KEI received a copy of the contract between Johnson & Johnson (“J&J”) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the development of J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine.The contract, which is now valued at $1.3 billion,… Continue Reading

KEI Comments on NIH Exclusive License to Ridgeback for FDA-approved Ebola Treatment

(Update: On April 30, 2021, the NIH sent a response to KEI’s comments.) On March 30, 2021, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) filed comments regarding the National Institute of Health (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), “Prospective Grant… Continue Reading

License to NIH Spike Protein Technology Needed in COVID-19 Vaccines Demonstrates “Available to the Public on Reasonable Terms” Requirement

A March 21, 2021 New York Times article on vaccine access discusses how a technology invented and owned by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is necessary to make several COVID-19 vaccines. The invention mentioned by the Times, titled Prefusion… Continue Reading

Kathryn Ardizzone, KEI Comment to NIST Regarding Proposal to Deny Members of the Public Standing to Appeal Government Licenses

PDF version here: KA-KEI-NIST-Standing-26March2021 More on the NIST proposed changes to the Bayh-Dole Regulations: https://www.keionline.org/35432 Kathryn Ardizzone Counsel, Knowledge Ecology International National Institute of Standards and Technologies Rights to Federally Funded Inventions and Licensing of Government Owned Inventions Docket No.:… Continue Reading

Luis Gil Abinader NIST comments on the definition of Subject Invention, 26 March 2021

PDF version here:LGA-NIST-Subject-Invention-definition-26March2021 More on the NIST proposed changes to the Bayh-Dole Regulations. https://www.keionline.org/35432 Comments of Luis Gil Abinader of Knowledge Ecology International on the redefinition of “Subject Invention” to Narrow the Inventions to Which Government Rights Attach (Modify 37… Continue Reading

On Joe Allen’s claims that former Senators can provide authoritative statements on legislative intent decades after leaving office, especially when they worked as lobbyists

A recent blog published in IPWatchdog expresses outrage at accurate observations made by James Love, director of Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), that former Senators Birch Bayh and Bob Dole acquired financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry between the enactment of… Continue Reading

KEI Comments on NIH Proposed Exclusive License to Iovance for Cancer Cell Therapy

On Friday March 12, 2021, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) submitted comments to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) regarding the “Prospective Grant of an Exclusive Patent License: Engineered Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes for Cancer Therapy” (86 FR 11548). The technology is… Continue Reading

Canada based Biolyse Pharma Seeks to Manufacture COVID-19 Vaccines for Low-Income Countries, may test Canada’s compulsory licensing for export law

On March 11th 2021, Biolyse Pharma (“Biolyse”) issued a statement publicly indicating their capacity to manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine and their intent to apply for a compulsory license in Canada. Biolyse is a Canadian manufacturer of cancer drugs based out… Continue Reading