Principles

Photo credit: The Gates Foundation

Global Access in Action is engaging leadership among public and private organizations worldwide to address the issues of globally responsible technology transfer. Global Access in Action promotes knowledge-sharing and access to educational resources that supports companies, research institutes, and universities as they work toward implementation of globally responsible technology transfer.

Although each organization will have different practices in this field, and there needs to be a non-prescriptive flexibility, there is still a role for common principles. An important shift toward learning and action can occur when there is clear organizational buy-in to a well-defined set of principles. Global Access in Action has developed the following five core principles that encourage the adoption and uptake of globally responsible licensing practices.

Principles for Globally Responsible Technology Transfer

• Principle 1: IP holders supplement their organizational IP policies to allow their proprietary technology and knowledge to be made available for pro-poor and humanitarian uses, where this does not compromise commercial objectives.
• Principle 2: IP holders work towards encouraging developing world participation in technology transfer, considering co-development of solutions which support the goals of getting technology to the poor.
• Principle 3: IP holders work with others to create partnerships to further the development and deployment of technologies related to their organizational IP and knowledge that will have an impact on the poor.
• Principle 4: IP holders share knowledge of the effective and efficient implementation of global responsibility licensing and partnership development practices with others.
• Principle 5: IP holders endeavor to continuously improve their approach to global responsibility licensing through organizational learning, building capacity in staff, and where applicable, continuous legal education.

Collectively, the above represent a globally recognized standard of practice and good stewardship of intellectual assets to benefit the global poor.