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intellectual property


US reciprocal tariffs is illegal, Agreement of Reciprocal Trade must not be ratified
The Civil Society Coalition for Economic Justice (Koalisi MKE) urges President Prabowo Subianto not to ratify the reciprocal trade agreement (ART) between Indonesia and the United States (US) signed on February 19, 2026. The 19% tariff reduction obtained by Indonesia in this agreement is not commensurate with the surrender of the country’s sovereignty to US interests.
DNP+ and MSF welcome the removal of harmful IP provisions in EU-India FTA , but call for continued vigilance
Delhi Network of Positive People (DNP+) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) notes positively that the intellectual Property (IP) chapter of this trade deal largely preserves India’s public health safeguards and does not include any harmful provisions that go beyond the World Trade Organization’s TRIPS agreement, such as data exclusivity or patent term extensions.
Trump’s deal with Argentina marks a new low in Big Pharma-friendly trade
The US-Argentina deal represents a new low in using US trade policy to bully countries into adopting intellectual property rules that expand Big Pharma’s monopoly power at the expense of access to affordable medicines.
India-EU FTA: What the deal means for digital trade and intellectual property rights
The deal points to creating a secure digital trade environment by promoting paperless transactions and cyber-security .
Trump-Milei pact piles pressure on EU to lock in Mercosur accord
A new US-Argentina deal could undermine protections for European food names that are included in the trade agreement with Latin America.
Public health group demands release and discussion on full text of India-EU FTA
The Working Group points out that the European Commission’s press release states the agreement provides for a high level of protection and enforcement of Intellectual Property rights, including copyright, trademarks, designs, trade secrets and plant variety rights.
Open Letter: Comment on the SIA for the proposed EU-Thailand FTA by FTA Watch
Thai civil society organizations submitted an open letter on 23 January 2026, provides critical feedback on the Draft Inception Report of the Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) for the proposed EU–Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The letter highlights key concerns regarding the adequacy and balance of the SIA’s current scope and methodology.
Trade agreements risk undermining consumers’ right to repair, warns TACD Report
The report details how digital trade rules, such as so-called “source code protection” provisions threaten to override ambitious right to repair laws now advancing in both the United States and European Union.
Egypt manages to reach African consensus on the rules of origin pending in AfCFTA agreement
Adoption of eight annexes to the Intellectual Property Protocol in preparation for their submission to the upcoming African Union Summit.
Trade deals weaponised to enforce strict seed patents, warns new report
Countries in the global South being pressured through trade agreements to adopt restrictive UPOV seed laws, threatening farmers’ rights and food sovereignty.
Malaysian small-scale farmers worry about rights under proposed seed law changes
Malaysia is preparing to amend its Protection of New Plant Varieties Act to join the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) by 2026 - a key criterion for Malaysia to join a trans-Pacific free trade agreement.
Free trade agreements pushing UPOV as of 2025
GRAIN has updated its dataset on free trade agreements that push harsh new standards for intellectual property rights over biodiversity, going beyond the international standards set by the World Trade Organisation.
History of the negotiations of the TRIPS Agreement
Coercion rather than negotiations among equal partners seems to explain the final adoption of TRIPS Agreement.
Battling for farmers’ seed systems: UPOV 91 and trade agreements
A IATP report on on how the U.S. and its seeds companies use free trade agreements to undermine the policy space available for farmers to save, use, exchange, and sell farm-saved seeds.
Malaysia too hasty in signing EFTA trade agreement
Consumers’ Association of Penang express strong disappointment over Malaysia’s rushed signing of a trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, criticizing the government’s failure to address concerns about the intellectual property (IP) provisions.
Remove TRIPS+ demands from the EFTA-Malaysia Free-Trade Agreement
The undersigned Swiss NGOs are urging the Swiss government to actively engage within EFTA to drop these provisions known as TRIPS+.
Malaysia – EFTA Economic Partnership Agreement (MEEPA) will jeopardise public health, access to seeds & farmers’ rights
Consumers’ Association of Penang submitted a Memorandum on June 2025 to strongly urge the Malaysian government not to rush to endorse and/or sign the trade deal with EFTA. If a deal is to be signed, such a deal must not contain any TRIPS-plus obligation.
Malaysia-European Free Trade Association partnership agreement could negatively impact many sectors, says CAP
The proposed Malaysia-EFTA Economic Partnership Agreement (MEEPA) could negatively affect public health, farmers’ rights, and food security in Malaysia. It includes "TRIPS-plus" intellectual property provisions that extend patent monopolies, limit access to affordable generic medicines, and increase drug costs.
Malaysia-EFTA economic partnership agreement (MEEPA) would tie Malaysia’s hands on access to medicines
Malaysian negotiators have accepted intellectual property protections above those required by the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, which will adversely affect affordable and equitable access to medicines in Malaysia for generations.