EU Catches On: Drug Companies Abuse Patent System To Block Competition

from the well,-duh dept

Thu, Dec 4th 2008 12:55pm — Mike Masnick

I'm long overdue on some promised posts concerning the patent system and the harm it does for the healthcare field, but it's going to have to wait a little while longer. In the meantime, it's good to see that more people (including those in a position to do something about it) are noticing this as well. While we often feel that the EU goes overboard in declaring monopolies or anti-competitive behavior, it's finally realizing the one area where monopolies really do tend to be a problem: patents. The European Commission has released a report detailing how pharmaceutical companies regularly abuse the patent process for anti-competitive purposes, rather than to promote and ensure progress. It's unlikely that much will come of this now, but it's good to see people starting to recognize that the patent system can often be more of a problem than a solution.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: competition, eu, patents, pharmaceuticals

5 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

vrobca, 4 Dec 2008 @ 2:15pm

As a spanish citizen living in Central America , i've come to realize how europe is years ahead in many social, political and even artistic fields, however it has come not thru alien enlightenment, but rather by dire moments that pushed people to evolve or die out. Currently the UE is still facing many problems which are approached in irrational ways, but its clearly a process. I believe America has begun a painful yet necessary process of evolution, clearly the american corporate world has forgotten all types of altruistic behaviors and centered on individual wealth. After many years of excess and limited resource squandering CEO's from companies like GM find themselves driving hybrid cars to washington in one last effort to save the automobile families along with probably the economy of the nation itself. Hopefully all this aches and contractions are a sign of the birth of an older, wiser, and humble American Region.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
bigpicture, 4 Dec 2008 @ 3:05pm

vrobca
I'm with you on that, there should be a clear distinction made between "economic viability" and "unremitting greed and selfishness". Unfortunately we are where we are because there has been absolutely no value placed on the use of principles, either economic, social, or ethical.

"To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" I believe that was one of Newton's laws of physics. This current economic environment is the "reaction" to stupidity and greed. We can only hope that it does not end up in international distrust, tensions and war.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 5 Dec 2008 @ 2:41am

While it's always been clear that Mike Masnick is a group of people it remains irritating when in a single article the writer starts writing as if a single person "I'm long overdue..." then quickly lacks confidence to proceed and has to invoke the rest of the team "While we often feel ..."

Of course I could stop reading this silly blog, but occasionally one of the Mike Masnicks does have an actual point - shame we can't figure out which member of the team it is.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Mike (profile), 5 Dec 2008 @ 9:51am
  
  Re:
  While it's always been clear that Mike Masnick is a group of people it remains irritating when in a single article the writer starts writing as if a single person "I'm long overdue..." then quickly lacks confidence to proceed and has to invoke the rest of the team "While we often feel ..."
  
  You might try reading. The "we" referred to another post by another author on the site, which the rest of contributors agreed with. The "I" referred to me.
  
  This isn't difficult. But I appreciate the condescending tone of your comment.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 5 Dec 2008 @ 10:12am

Yeah, the CEO's of auto makers are driving hybrid cars that most other americans don't want to buy.

How does an article about what happens in the EU turn into discussion of the US's problems?

As for the EU, where is the ourcry for lack of new drugs that are not available to EU citizens because their socialist government run healthcare system won't pay for it?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]