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intellectual property

Health sets out options for FTA talks
21-Jun-2005
After letting health advocates air their opposition to the Thai-US free trade agreement (FTA) for more than a year, the Public Health Ministry yesterday unveiled its position on how Thailand should deal with drug patents.
Thai Govt urged to put off US talks
11-Jun-2005 Bangkok Post
Farm advocates, intellectual property rights experts and farmers groups yesterday called on the government to postpone the upcoming round of free trade negotiations with the United States that would focus on intellectual property rights (IP) to avoid the impact on farmers.
Australian Govt to get tough on China trade issues
11-Jun-2005 AAP
Trade Minister Mark Vaile signalled a major assault on tariffs, quarantine systems and intellectual property laws as part of free trade negotiations with China.
Free trade, the new con trick
7-Jun-2005
It is two years since the US and Australia signed a so-called free trade agreement, and it is nearly 60 years since George Orwell introduced the concept of "newspeak", which describes how politicians often subvert language to make it mean the opposite of what it says.
Intellectual property in investment agreements: The TRIPS-plus implications for developing countries
2-Jun-2005 South Centre
In this analytical note, the South Centre examines the implication of the emerging approaches relating to the fair and equitable treatment and the national and most-favoured nation (MFN) treatment in investment agreements for the overall regimes for the protection and enforcement of IP in developing countries.
BIMSTEC meet on June 1: Six priority sectors to be discussed
29-May-2005 New Nation
A BIMSTEC Free Trade Area agreement was signed in last February. The agreement covers trade in goods, services and investment. Negotiations are progressing well on specific issues. The Agreement would come into force from July 2006.
Removing IPR - too much at stake for Thailand
13-May-2005
The recently concluded round of US-Thai FTA negotiations brought little contentment for the Thais, especially those with direct interests in maintaining the existing degree of intellectual property right (IPR) protection already in place.
Zoellick hits RP violations of IPRs
7-May-2005 Philippine Star
Washington said it would use the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and the out-of-cycle review to assist the Philippine government in strengthening its IPR regime.
Zoellick’s visit fails to ease Thai concerns
5-May-2005
Thailand was Robert Zoellick’s first stop on a week-long visit to Southeast Asia to discuss economic, security and political issues.
AIDS drugs dog US-Southern Africa trade deal
1-May-2005 Reuters
The United States and the Southern African trade bloc are set to revive free trade talks next month, but analysts say intellectual property rights for urgently needed AIDS drugs remain a stumbling block.
From TRIPS-minus to TRIPS to TRIPS-plus: Implications of IPRs for the Arab world
1-May-2005
This article sheds light on the evolution of free trade agreements (FTAs) and the IPR protection incorporated within such agreements. The emphasis will be on the latest free trade and investment agreements concluded between the United States and the European Union (EU) with the Arab world and their “TRIPS-Plus” nature.
Thailand has little to gain in trade pact with US
29-Apr-2005 Bangkok Post
The FTA with the US would tighten the intellectual property rights regime even further, offering no perceptible benefit to Thailand
Thailand-US FTA: "Whatever we have to sacrifice must be sacrificed, if that helps get a better deal"
26-Apr-2005 Focus
The third round of Thailand-US free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations ended on 8 April with great disappointment for civil society activists because people’s demand and concerns were cast aside.
AIDS patients see life, death issues in trade pact
23-Apr-2005 LA Times
Public health experts fear that hope might fade for thousands of the region’s chronically ill if the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement, known as CAFTA, is approved this year.
Long march for Australia, China FTA
21-Apr-2005 Dow Jones Newswire
Fifteen years. That is how long China dragged out negotiations for its entry into the World Trade Organization. And there’s no reason to believe that finalizing a comprehensive free-trade agreement with Australia will be any less painstaking.
Calls for more flexible US position in free trade talks
21-Apr-2005 IPS
During the ninth round of negotiations of a free trade agreement between the United States and three South American nations in the Andean region — Colombia, Peru and Ecuador — Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo called for ”greater flexibility” on the part of Washington.
Smaller Ecuadorian delegation attends 9th FTA round
19-Apr-2005 Prensa Latina
Ecuador is attending the ninth round of negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement with the US from Monday, with a smaller delegation and amid the pharmaceutical sector’s rejection of any kind of discussion.
Cashing in on our pharmaceutical expertise
11-Apr-2005
One important provision in a China-Australia Free Trade Agreement could be the establishment of a Medicines Working Committee. This committee would facilitate cooperation, collaborations and joint ventures between Australian and Chinese pharmaceutical regulators, clinical trial and biotechnology researchers, as well as generic manufacturers.
US firm on IP rights protection
9-Apr-2005 Bangkok Post
US chief negotiator Barbara Weisel assured that the FTA agreement would not affect drug prices in Thailand.
US hails progress in Thailand talks
8-Apr-2005
US negotiators on Friday wound up a third round of negotiations with their Thai counterparts on a proposed free trade agreement, saying they were pleased with the progress made.