Biden administration backs lifting vaccine patent protections

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The US government has backed a temporary suspension of intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines in a move likely to enrage the pharmaceutical industry, which strongly opposes a so-called waiver. Shares of the major coronavirus vaccine companies were hit by the announcement but is it just an empty gesture? We speak to Jorge Contreras, Chair of the Open Covid Pledge, a group that is lobbying organisations to share their patents and copyrights in relation to vaccine efforts. And there's no status update for Donald Trump anytime soon; Facebook decides to uphold it's ban of the former US president. But is it up to big tech to decide who's on their platforms? We speak to Issie Lapowsky, Senior Reporter at tech site Protocol. Also in the programme, college sports in the United States are a big business, but the athletes taking part have typically been compensated through scholarships rather than salaries. But there's now a drive across the country to pass laws enabling college sports stars to earn money through sponsorship, or name, image and likeness deals. Courtney Altemus is a financial advisor who discusses how college sports worked til recently. Hayley Hodson is a former volleyball star who was part of the push for a name, image and likeness law that has now been passed in California. And Iowa state senator Brad Zaun tells us why there is now a race on to pass such laws in states across the US. Plus, the Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has launched a scheme in the UK to buy unwanted furniture back from its customers, in a bid to save items from going to landfill. Hege Saebjornsen is the company's sustainability manager for the UK and Ireland explains how it works. (Picture: coronavirus vaccine. Picture credit: Getty Images.)