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Twenty Founders Announce OPEN COVID-19 DECLARATION

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It is expected that the Declaration will contribute to the safety and wellness of us all by enabling a large number of companies, universities and research institutions to conduct COVID-19 related research, development and other activities.


KYOTO, Japan (PRWEB)

Canon Inc. and GenoConcierge Kyoto, Inc. with 18 other founders announced the OPEN COVID-19 DECLARATION, in which the declarers pledge not to enforce their worldwide intellectual property rights against activities aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented postwar global crisis. The rapid development, manufacture and provision of therapeutic drugs, vaccines, medical devices, infection control products and the like are central to stopping the spread of COVID-19.

“Accomplishing this as swiftly as possible calls for a new kind of cooperation between industry, government and academia, that breaks the molds of traditional models. We believe that, in the current climate, patent, design, copyright and other intellectual property rights should not interfere with the deployment of these critical items,” said Hideki Sanatake, Executive Officer, Corporate Intellectual Property and Legal Headquarters, Canon Inc., who is a co-originator of the Open COVID-19 Declaration.

Without seeking compensation, the declarers in essence commit not to assert any patents, utility models, designs or copyrights, against any activities whose purpose is stopping the spread of COVID-19, including diagnosis, prevention, containment and treatment, until the World Health Organization (WHO) declares that the COVID-19 outbreak no longer constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Anybody can use the intellectual property rights of the declarers subject to the Open COVID-19 Declaration without investigating whether those rights are infringed and without spending time and money to negotiate for licenses. “It is expected that the Declaration will contribute to the safety and wellness of us all by enabling a large number of companies, universities and research institutions to conduct COVID-19 related research, development and other activities,” said Hisao Yamasaki, Chief Executive Officer, GenoConcierge Kyoto, Inc., who is another co-originator of the Open COVID-19 Declaration

Keidanren, the Japan Association of New Economy, the Computer Software Association of Japan, the WIPO Japan Office and other industry organizations are supporting the Declaration. The founders hope that other IP rights owners will join them in making this important declaration and encourage all to do so.

Executing the Declaration is easy: download the form, execute it and upload the PDF file to the Declaration website. For more details please visit https://www.gckyoto.com/covid-2.

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