Rep. Calvert Offers Amendment to Protect the Rights of COVID-19 Vaccine Innovators

Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) offered an amendment protecting the intellectual property rights of American COVID-19 vaccine innovators and manufacturers during the Appropriations Committee's consideration of the Fiscal Year 2022 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill. The amendment was defeated on a party-line vote of 25 to 33.

"The Biden Administration's support of the TRIPS waiver, which would strip American innovators of their intellectual property protections, would do irreparable harm to American businesses and innovators," said Rep. Calvert. "Instead of undermining American innovators, the federal government should be rewarding their research investment with every tool at our disposal so they have every incentive to respond to the next public health crisis. I'm also concerned that a TRIPS waiver would hand our technology to countries like China and Russia who regularly try to steal U.S. intellectual property. I don't disagree that the United States has a role to play in helping vaccinate the world. It is in all our best interest to bring this global pandemic to an end once and for all. However, a TRIPS waiver will not solve this problem."

The Calvert amendment would prohibit the office of the U.S. Trade Representative from facilitating or supporting a Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property, or TRIPS, waiver for COVID-19 vaccines. In an unprecedented move earlier this year, the U.S. Trade Representative took a position on behalf of the Biden-Harris Administration supporting a proposal to waive patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines.