MHI not to press any copyright claim in COVID fight

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has decided to participate in the Open COVID-19 Declaration. MHI Group agrees, within a specified time frame and without seeking any compensation, not to assert any patent, utility model, design or copyright in its possession against any activities whose sole purpose is stopping the spread of COVID-19, including diagnosis, prevention, containment and treatment.

Currently, in a concerted quest to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and bring the pandemic to an end, industrial, governmental and academic resources are being coordinated to develop and manufacture therapeutic drugs, vaccines, medical equipment and products to prevent the virus contagion. The Open COVID-19 Declaration aims to establish an environment in which the owner of intellectual property rights shall not enforce such rights in a manner that might hinder such activities.

MHI Group expresses its full solidarity with people worldwide who have been affected by COVID-19 in any way – not only patients but everyone on the front lines involved in the treatment, prevention or containment of this disease. With participation in the Open COVID-19 Declaration, all MHI Group companies will continue to coordinate with and support the efforts being made to bring the COVID-19 pandemic to an end.

The rapid development and manufacture 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.

As of now, there are 57 participants in the Open COVID-19 Declaration covering more than 70o,000 patents.