Compulsory licensing allows governments to override critical intellectual property (IP) protections, permitting others to use an invention without the patent owner’s consent. 

While advocates for compulsory licenses (CLs) suggest that they improve access to medicines, evidence shows that CLs fail to achieve this goal. Effective approaches – like voluntary licensing – that facilitate both innovation and access to medicines, without undermining IP rights, exist and should be championed.

Watch to learn more about why compulsory licensing is an ineffective policy choice.