Increased
patent protection for companies in rich countries costs developing
countries $40 billion each year.
Under
pressure from powerful corporations, the rich world is insisting
on stringent patent protection. This will push up the price of essential
products like seeds, medicines, textbooks, and software.
Vital drugs will be priced out of reach of poor
people. Fourteen million people die from treatable diseases every
year. Many of these lives could be saved if cheap drugs were available.

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