Bill Gates—Opposed waiving COVID-19 vaccine patents for developing countries, then Foundation reversed position
In April-May 2021, Bill Gates personally opposed waiving TRIPS intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, arguing that vaccine factory capacity, not patents, was the bottleneck. Gates lobbied US Trade Representative Katherine Tai against the waiver. Critics noted the Gates Foundation had earlier convinced Oxford University to partner exclusively with AstraZeneca rather than sharing its vaccine formula through an open license. The Foundation reversed course in May 2021, stating support for a narrow waiver during the pandemic.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Knowledge Access & Information Freedom | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.745 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.66)
Evidence (2 signals)
Academic analysis documented Gates Foundation's role in COVID vaccine IP restrictions and Oxford-AstraZeneca deal
A 2023 peer-reviewed article in PMC documented how, despite declared intention to establish COVID vaccines as global public goods, the Gates Foundation supplanted the WHO's knowledge-sharing initiative, lobbied against IP waivers, and convinced Oxford University to partner exclusively with AstraZeneca rather than sharing its vaccine formula through an open license.
Gates Foundation reversed position on COVID vaccine patent waivers after initial opposition
Devex reported that Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman announced support for temporarily lifting COVID-19 vaccine patent protections in May 2021, reversing the foundation's earlier position. Gates had previously lobbied US Trade Representative Katherine Tai against the waiver, arguing factory capacity, not patents, was the bottleneck.