Intel and Mozilla Provide Access to Intellectual Property for Corona Control – IT Pro – News

Intel and Mozilla say they are making their intellectual property available to scientists in their efforts to halt the covid-19 pandemic. To this end, the companies have joined the Open Covid Pledge, an initiative of lawyers and scientists.

In an explanation of the Open Covid Pledge, which include Intel, Mozilla and the Creative Commons organization have signed, it is now very important and morally right to be able to apply any available tool to develop technologies on a large scale, without barriers. This means that the participating parties promise to make their intellectual property available free of charge to end the pandemic and minimize the impact of the disease. These may include patents, copyrights and other rights that would otherwise prevent the development of technologies for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of Covid-19. This could include diagnostics, vaccines, therapies and medical equipment.

In accordance with the associated license, researchers and technicians who use the intellectual property of a participating company to combat the pandemic run no risk of litigation or legal trouble. The so-called Open Covid License is retroactively valid from December 1, 2019 to one year after the World Health Organization officially declares that the Covid-19 pandemic has ended. This date of 1 December 2019 has been specifically chosen as the starting point to also recognize the work at the beginning of the crisis.

Mark Lemley, a professor at Stanford University in the United States and co-founder of the Open Covid Pledge, acknowledges that participating companies have the right to withdraw their intellectual property and to restrict its use if everything returns to normal and the pandemic is over. He hopes that these licensing companies will continue to work with other companies that have exercised the rights, for example, by establishing commercially reasonable licensing terms.

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