Raising voices over compulsory licensing

WASHINGTON - AIDS activists, advocates for African economic development, and prominent non-governmental international health organizations have formed an alliance to persuade developed countries to allow poor countries to obtain AIDS drugs at low or no cost through compulsory licensing.

As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), a compulsory license may result when a "judicial or administrative authority is allowed by law to grant a license, without permission from the holder, on various grounds of general interest."...