Author: Mike Palmedo

U.S. Canada and Mexico Sign Re-Negotiated NAFTA, Critics Still Seek to Alter Problematic IP Provisions

…According to Inside U.S. Trade (paywalled) President Trump told reporters “I don’t expect to have very much of a problem” with Congressional implementation of the deal. However, some Democrats in Congress and some civil society groups oppose key provisions and plan to block ratification unless certain provisions are changed.  Among the issues are intellectual property concerns.

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Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Will Enter Into Force on December 30

The New Zealand Ministry of Trade and Export Growth has formally announced that the CPTPP has been ratified by six countries – Australia, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, Japan and Mexico – and will take affect on December 30. The sixth country (Australia) gave formal notification today, so the agreement will be in force among these six countries after the required 60 day period.

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Copyright Exceptions, Trade Agreements, and the Digital Economy

PIJIP has researched IP and trade for a while, but we’ve mostly focused on FTAs that included the US.  This year we’ve begun to broaden our view – to look more closely at agreements like RCEP and other Asia-Pacific agreements. This fall we began a detailed comparison of CPTPP, RCEP, CETA, RCEP, EU-Mercosur, EU-Japan, and the China-Korea FTA, with a focus on the copyright and enforcement provisions, and with an eye toward provisions that affect the digital economy. In the last few couple of weeks we’ve begun looking into the provisions in USMCA as well.  This post compares some of the existing text on two provisions: the ‘balance’ provision and protection of TPMs.

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U.S., Canada and Mexico Agree Upon, and Release, Renegotiated Trade Agreement Text

Trade negotiators from the U.S., Canada and Mexico have agreed to a new NAFTA text. To take effect, the agreement will need to be approved by legislatures in all countries…. The Intellectual Property chapter lengthens copyright terms, and it does not include a version of the copyright balance language found in Art. 16.88 of the TPP. It requires 10 years of marketing exclusivity for biologic drugs and patents on second uses. 

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IIPA Claims that South Africa’s Copyright Reform Bill Would Make the Country Ineligible for AGOA Benefits

The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is conducting its annual review of country eligibility for trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). This law allows beneficiary countries to export certain goods into the U.S. duty-free. The benefits are conditional upon a set of criteria, which includes the protection of intellectual property. The International Intellectual Property Association (IIPA) has filed comments to USTR arguing that South Africa’s copyright reform legislation, if it becomes law, “would place South Africa out of compliance with the AGOA eligibility criteria regarding intellectual property.” 

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U.S. Congressional Research Service NAFTA Report: United States “Seeking to Restrict Exceptions for Fair Use”

Last week, the U.S. Congressional Research Service released a report, NAFTA Renegotiation and Modernization, which describes U.S. negotiating objectives chapter by chapter, citing publicly available information. It notes that the U.S. has tabled language on fair use that walks back the commitment to balance found in the TPP text.

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South African Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry Debates a General Copyright Exception

The South African Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry has released its report on its most recent copyright reform debate. The summary notes: “An area of major contention was whether the Copyright Act should be based on the ‘fair use’ or the ‘fair dealing’ principle. The Committee strongly favoured ‘the fair use’ principle but with exceptions to manage the openness of the system… “

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Fifth Global Congress on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest – Applications to Participate Now Open

The American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL) Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property (PIJIP) is pleased to announce the fifth convening of the Global Congress on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest. The Congress will take place the week of September 24, 2018. It is the main convening of a global network of over 800 researchers, activists, and practitioners who work on the intersection of intellectual property and promotion of the public interest.

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China Claims U.S.’s Section 301 Investigation into Its Tech Transfer and IP Licensing Policies May Violate WTO Dispute Settlement Understanding

Last week, China warned that the U.S.’s threat of unilateral sanctions under Section 301 of the Trade Act violates its WTO commitment to settle disputes within the WTO Dispute Settlement framework, and it referred to a previous case in which a panel addresses how the U.S. could use Section 301 and stay within the bounds of the WTO framework.

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My Comments to USTR for the 2018 Special 301 review

PIJIP’s research indicates that American firms operating overseas in industries that rely on copyright limitations enjoy better outcomes on average when our trading partners’ limitations are more open – defined as being open to the use of any type of work, by any user, or with a general exception that is open to any purpose subject to protections of the legitimate interests of right holders. Econometric research on both the activities of foreign affiliates of U.S. firms and service exports by U.S. firms illustrate this conclusion.  At the same time, firms in the more traditional “copyright sectors” (i.e. – music, movies, and printed media), do not seem to be negatively affected by greater balance and openness in copyright limitations.

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The Impact of Copyright Exceptions for Researchers on Scholarly Output

Abstract: Surveys of scholars in the science and health fields have identified high journal prices to be one of many impediments to the writing and publishing of new works. One possible solution to this problem is the expansion of copyright exceptions that allow unauthorized access to copyrighted works for the purpose of conducting further research. This paper tests the link between copyright exceptions for researchers and the publishing output of health and science scholars at the country-subject level, using data on change in copyright law from the PIJIP Copyright User Rights database.

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