Third World wins another intellectual property dispute

On June 25th, the United $tates backed down from a complaint 
it lodged at the World Trade Organization, concerning patent 
protections in Brazil. Those patent protections have been a 
multinational corporation excuse for undercutting the battle 
against AIDS. 

The imperialist countries have made a big deal 
out of protecting "intellectual property," instead of just 
manufactured commodities. Since not all countries have U.$. 
patent laws, the U.$. approach amounts to saying that all 
countries should have the U.S. patent system. We at MIM, 
however, agree with Brazil and Oxfam (a charity) that 
property rights are getting in the way of public health. 

MIM favors having the state reward important scientific 
discoveries with big, one-time rewards. Once a public health 
discovery arises, however, MIM opposes letting it remain as 
property. Throughout the Third World multinational 
corporations based in imperialist countries have cried 
"intellectual property" to justify putting profit above 
humyn health. Specifically, the imperialists have said that 
Third World generic-drug manufacturers should be halted from 
providing much-needed and cheap relief in the form of drugs 
for AIDS. In a system of "free trade," no one country such 
as the United $tates should be allowed to set up barriers to 
trade. When the United $tates passes patent-related laws, 
there is no reason for the Third World to support the U.$. 
system. Playing a positive role in this struggle and other 
"fair trade" struggles involving the Third World is the 
charity Oxfam. Although Oxfam has a huge labor bureaucracy 
wasting donor money, it does on occasion adopt struggles for 
progressive reforms in favor of the Third World proletariat.

Note: Financial Times 26June2001, p. 1.