Peruvian Trade Minister on IP in the Trans Pacific Partnership: “will not go one millimeter beyond” our FTA with the U.S.

 Posted by on June 13, 2013  No Responses »
Jun 132013
 
silva

José Silva

Peruvian Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism José Silva Martinot – asked about intellectual property (IP) provisions proposed by the United States in the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations – said on television that Peru will not accept terms that exceed those in its existing bilateral trade agreement with the U.S. The minister said “We as Peru have been clear and we will not go one millimeter beyond what has already negotiated.”

Peruvian officials have indicated their reluctance to exceed US-Peru FTA provisions on IP in the past, but recently they have come under increasing pressure not to give in to U.S. demands. Continue reading »

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Can TPP’s investment chapter harm consumer protection and access to knowledge?

 Posted by on June 10, 2013  No Responses »
Jun 102013
 

Rashmi RangnathEmpowered by investment provisions in free trade agreements, corporations have challenged national laws, policies, and practices that protect the environment and public health. Phillip Morris’ challenges to cigarette plain packaging rules in Uruguay and Australia are the latest examples of such corporate actions. The Transpacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) also contains an investment chapter similar to the investment chapter in many FTAs. Would that chapter give corporations the same powers as other FTAs? Could it be used to challenge national measures designed to increase access to knowledge? Could it be used to challenge limits to copyright meant to protect consumers? Continue reading »

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Rep. McDermott v. State Department – Conflicting Views on the Trans Pacific Parternship and Access to Medicines

 Posted by on June 4, 2013  No Responses »
Jun 042013
 
mcdermott

Rep. Jim McDermott

Last week Jim McDermott wrote an op-ed in Roll Call on the TPP in which he warned that the U.S. proposal for intellectual property in the TPP could “cost millions of lives in developing countries.” McDermott wrote that the proposal extends patent monopolies on pharmaceuticals further than TRIPS:  “It would extend patents beyond the current 20-year norm and block national regulators from using existing clinical trial data to approve the production of generic or “bio-similar” drugs. Alarmingly, the proposal also outlaws ‘pre-grant opposition’ that allows doctors and patients to provide information to their governments about patents they believe do not meet national rules, an important democratic safeguard. The proposal also requires the patenting of new versions of old medicines, even when the new versions offer no additional therapeutic benefits. It even requires patenting of surgical, therapeutic and diagnostic methods, which not only is unethical but also could increase medical liability and the cost of practice.” Continue reading »

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Witnesses at U.S. Trade Hearing Offer Opinions (and Warnings) on Intellectual Property in Upcoming Negotiations with the EU

 Posted by on May 29, 2013  No Responses »
May 292013
 

PresidentialSealToday the Obama Administration’s inter-agency Trade Policy Staff Committee held the first day of its two-day hearing on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).  Many of the witnesses who testified in the afternoon offered comments related to intellectual property and/or privacy on the internet – both subjects that are expected to be among the most highly controversial in the upcoming trade negotiations. Below is an account of the testimony related specifically to intellectual property, along with links to the full text of written materials they submitted to USTR (the full docket with 378 comments is available here). Continue reading »

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Consumers International Releases Three New Papers on the TPP for the Lima Round

 Posted by on May 24, 2013  No Responses »
May 242013
 

consumersinternationalConsumers International (CI) has commissioned the production of three papers, the first on the competition chapter by one of our members, and the other two by independent experts, respectively covering the investment chapter and how it affects A2K, and the free flow of information provision and its impacts on privacy.  The papers are now available for your reading pleasure! Continue reading »

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TAFTA: First Step Towards a Super-ACTA

 Posted by on May 23, 2013  No Responses »
May 232013
 

la quad2[La Quadrature du Net (CC-BY-SA)(Link)] In a plenary vote, the European Parliament just adopted a mandate to the European Commission explicitly allowing it to “include strong protection of intellectual property rights (IPR)” in the proposed EU-US trade agreement negotiations, the “Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement” (TAFTA), also know as “Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership” (TTIP). Continue reading »

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Open Letter to the Chair of the TRIPS Council, Alfredo Suescum, Ambassador of Panama to the WTO

 Posted by on May 20, 2013  No Responses »
May 202013
 

two-logosOur World Is Not for Sale (OWINFS) Network and LDC Watch.

Dear Ambassador Suescum,

We are outraged with the manner in which informal consultations are being conducted on the issue of extension of the LDC’s transition period. We find the current process to be unfair and prejudicial to the interests of the LDCs, the poorest and most vulnerable segment of the international community.

The LDC’s request has obtained extensive support from the developing world but the supporters of the LDC’s request have not been invited to participate in the current on-going consultations. Instead, the consultations have been limited to developed countries (that are opposed to the LDCs request) and to the LDC Group. It is outrageous that developing countries that have supported the LDC request (which together with the LDCs form the vast majority of actual members of the WTO), are being prevented from participating in the consultations. As a result you are depriving LDCs of their allies, while attempting to overwhelm the negotiating capacity of the poorest members of the WTO by placing them in an unfair position where they have to face the united might of the developed countries. Clearly the consultations have been designed so that the outcome will fail the LDCs. Continue reading »

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Excerpts of Comments to USTR on Copyright and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

 Posted by on May 13, 2013  No Responses »
May 132013
 

US-EUBy last Friday, 347 comments had been submitted to the US Trade Representative in response to its Request for Comments on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Agreement (TTIP).  Numerous comments addressed intellectual property concerns (and many suggested that IPRs should be left out of the agreement all together).   Also, many comments highlighted the need for greater transparency in TTIP negotiations than has been the norm in other trade negotiations, such as ACTA.  The full docket will be made available here, though currently not all of the comments have been uploaded. Below are excerpts from some of the comments made that referred to copyright provisions that may be under negotiation. Continue reading »

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US Government Special 301 “Watchlist” and Developing Country Use of Compulsory Licenses for Healthcare

 Posted by on May 2, 2013  No Responses »
May 022013
 

maybardukSpecial 301 is an annual report by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) which places countries on a “watch list” if USTR would like to see greater changes in their intellectual property rules or enforcement practice. This year’s report came out May 1st. We pay attention because USTR relies heavily on comments from big business, and USTR’s opaque standards and criticism of other countries could stymie the development of public interest policies in areas including health. For example, countries have sovereign rights to issue “compulsory licenses” on pharmaceutical patents. Compulsory licensing authorizes price-lowering generic competition with patented drugs in exchange for royalty payments to the patent holder. It’s a key strategy for improving access to affordable medicines, especially in developing countries. But the US has often criticized compulsory licensing, and sometimes sought to stop it (see eg: http://www.citizen.org/leaked-cables-show-US-tried-failed-to-organize-against-ecuador-compulsory-licensing).   Continue reading »

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Global Academics’ Expert Letter on LDC Extension

 Posted by on April 29, 2013  No Responses »
Apr 292013
 

baker-croppedOver 130 academics from around the world have signed a letter supporting the unconditional extension of the transition period within which least development country Members of the WTO must become fully compliant with the TRIPS Agreement until any such country ceases to be a least developed country.

The letter articulates 10 reasons supporting the proposed extension, many drawn directly from the language of Article 66.1 itself. Continue reading »

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Cambodian People’s Statement on the EU-India Free Trade Agreement on Generic Drugs

 Posted by on April 9, 2013  No Responses »
Apr 092013
 

cambodiaDear H.E Jean-François Cautain:

We, Cambodian garment workers, sex workers, entertainment workers, people living with HIV, LGBTs, university students, feminists and human right activists from different networks and organisations came together to express our concern about the threat posed by the forthcoming EU-India free trade agreement to the lives of millions of people in Cambodia and many other developing countries across the world. Continue reading »

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New Seed Legislation Spells Disaster for Farmers in Africa

 Posted by on April 3, 2013  No Responses »
Apr 032013
 

sadcCivil society organisations from the SADC region, and around the world have condemned the SADC draft Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (Plant Breeders’ Rights) as spelling disaster for small farmers and food security in the region. These groups, representing millions of farmers in Africa and around the world have submitted their concerns to the SADC Secretariat. They are calling for the rejection of the Protocol and urgent consultations with farmers, farmer movements and civil society before it’s too late. Continue reading »

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