Actually, India basically refuses to recognise patents for a wide variety of pharmaceutical products. For a long time they refused to recognise patents for drugs that combat AIDS and a thriving market for generics sprung up.<p>There was a lot of posturing and complaining by pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. and the U.S. Government tried to heavy the Indian Government, but to no
avail.<p>When it became apparent that the Indians weren&#x27;t going to budge, and with a growing realisation that other nations would ether do the same thing or import their drugs from India, the companies agreed to drastically reduce their prices on &quot;humanitarian&quot; grounds. Now they still make massive profits, just they are less massive than they once were.<p>This is now happening with academic research.<p>Nobody will shed any tears because greedy multinationals make a lower profit to ensure less people die from disease. Nobody will weep over Elsevier&#x27;s reduced earning if it frees up necessary information and research findings so science can progress for the benefit of all mankind.<p>The entrenched interests of rich, arrogant corporate executives and business owners in first world nations are finally being disrupted by poorer nations who don&#x27;t care about this group of people. But that&#x27;s what happens when you gain an attitude on I weaning entitlement - you eventually overreach so far you come undone, and nobody feels any sympathy when it happens.