Trade Deals Should Favour, Not Restrict, Access to Knowledge
[International Federation of Library Associations] The work of libraries relies on the existence of a modern and complete set of exceptions and limitations to copyright. While national legislation is usually the responsibility of national parliaments and policy-makers, the influence of International trade deals – and Treaties – is significant. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) – currently under renegotiation – is no exception. Click here for more.
Access to Affordable Healthcare: A Global Wake-Up Call Fosters Coalition of the Like-Minded
[Patralekha Chatterjee] New Delhi — Few topics in the global health agenda are as contentious as access to affordable medicines and medical care, and expectedly, divergent views permeated the discussions at a high-level conference in New Delhi, India last week. But if there is one thing that the three-day meet made amply clear, it was this: access to affordable healthcare has emerged as a global problem, and an emerging coalition of the like-minded, cutting across the developed and developing countries, is determined to have their voices heard in international policy circles on the issue. Click here for more.
NGOs Banned from WTO Ministerial
[Sean Flynn] At this year’s WTO ministerial there will be debates about adopting a new E-Commerce agenda to regulate Internet trade – but one of Latin America’s leading NGOs working on the issue is not allowed to go. Derechos Digitales writes: “With dismay and annoyance we have received the notification that the Argentine Government has decided to cancel our participation in the eleventh ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which will be held in Buenos Aires from December 10 to 13, 2017. At least 63 civil society organizations are in a similar situation. The Argentine Government did not provide any explanation to support this decision.” Click here for more.
Letter From 24 Civil Society Groups to EU and Mercusor Trade Negotiators, re: IP and Access to Medicines
We, the undersigning organisations, active in the fields of public health and access to medicines, mostly based in the European Union or Mercosur, draw your attention to the following. With negotiations between the European Union (EU), conducted through the European Commission (EC), and Mercosur nearing completion, concerns are increasing among public health advocates, patient and consumer organisations, and other stakeholders, both in Europe and the Americas, about the potential impact that some provisions reportedly put forward by the European Commission could have on access to medicines. Click here for more.
IP Unit Submits Its Comments Concerning the DTI’s Draft IP Policy, Phase One
[University of Cape Town IP Unit] …In our comments, we commend the DTI’s drafting team on creating a well-considered document. We also express our strong support for the policymaker’s intention to link this policy to broader domestic imperatives and strategies — such as the National Development Plan and its emphasis on embracing the knowledge economy — and welcome that Constitutional and Human Rights dimensions of many of the issues raised in the policy document are considered. We submit that by adopting a balanced, coordinated and development- and public interest-oriented approach the policy maker has created a policy document that is context-specific and which addresses current tensions and inequalities, including those between IP owners on the one hand and users seeking equitable access to IP-protected goods on the other. Click here for more.
Note: we are currently in the process of updating infojustice.org, which was designed in 2011 and is in need of a bit of a design update. Over the next couple of weeks, the appearance may fluctuate. Thanks for your patience! – MP
