Table 1.

Features of patent pools and clearinghouses

	Electronics and telecommunications pools	SARS pool	MPP	BVGH pool	SNP nutrigenomics clearinghouse	Librassay™
Subject	Standard-related technology in consumer electronics and telecommunications	Genomic sequences SARS	Medicines against HIV/AIDS	R&D regarding NTDs	SNPs related to nutrigenomics	Diagnostic testing
Nature	Profit	Non-profit	Non-profit	Hybrid	Profit	Profit
Initiative	Patent owners	WHO/patent owners	WHO/UNITAID	GSK and other patent owners	DSM	MPEG LA
Profile patent owners (public/private)	Mainly private partners	Mixed	Mixed	Mixed	Mixed	Mixed
Main incentives	Downstream, standards compatibility, opening up a market	Upstream, humanitarian, quick and broad availability of vaccines	Downstream, humanitarian, lower prices, combinations for specific populations	Upstream, humanitarian, opening up a market, risk sharing	Upstream, opening up a market, risk sharing	Downstream, broad availability of tests, enabling personalized medicines, lower prices
Administration pool	One of the patent owners/independent third party, e.g. MPEG LA, VIA Licensing, SISVEL	Unknown	MPP	BVGH/patent owners	Independent third party	MPEG LA
Licensing practices	Package license, essentiality standard, FRAND	Package license	Individual licenses	Individual licenses, royalty-free, qualified participants	Customized package license	Customized package license