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intellectual property


Music groups push USTR on NAFTA copyright agenda
A coalition of more than 20 music groups are urging U.S. trade negotiators to look beyond U.S. law to forge stronger copyright protections in a new NAFTA.
Lighthizer presses Thailand on AG trade barriers
Lighthizer stressed the need to address longstanding trade barriers, including on U.S. meat and other agriculture exports.
USTR launches review of IP in Thailand after reported improvements on enforcement
“I’d be concerned that USTR is pressuring Thailand to take pro-pharma positions on the RCEP and TPP,” Knowledge Ecology International Executive Director James Love said.
Foreign patent owners can challenge domestic judgments under international investment arbitration
The first ever final award on patents in international investment arbitration by ICSID in the case of Eli Lilly v. Canada has effectively cleared the way for raising future disputes by foreign IPR owners against domestic institutions which can result in stronger and robust IP protection regime.
Canada introduces patent term extensions for pharmaceutical patents
The new regime has been implemented in order to meet Canada’s obligations under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union
New study looks at IP and the rise of mega-regional agreements
A substantive new study with contributions from a range of leading thinkers in the field of intellectual property rights delves into the history and future of mega-regional trade agreements and the evolution of IP rights.
TPP 11 Sydney meeting vindicates community concerns
TPP 11 negotiators have agreed to suspend controversial clauses on medicine monopolies and some governments want to renegotiate other clauses, vindicating public interest group concerns
Vietnam proposes amendments to stalled TPP trade deal at Sydney talks: sources
Officials from 11 of the 12 countries that committed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal are meeting in Sydney for talks to re-energize the stalled agreement and discuss amendmends to the pact following the withdrawal of the US.
Health community’s concerns re TPP11 proposed next steps
Stronger intellectual property protection would benefit the US in return for no concessions, civil society groups tell TPP11 Ministers
Internet freedom and public interest groups concerns re TPP11 proposed next steps
Stronger intellectual property protection does not benefit the TPP11 but would benefit the US in return for no concessions by the USA, a civil society letter to ministers asserts
Pharmaceutical prices, intellectual property rights emerge as key issues in KORUS FTA discussions
Through the KORUS revision, the US is openly seeking to bridge its trade deficit with Korea by renegotiating specific terms for individual product categories.
Neelam Deo on EU-India’s perplexing relationship: Trade, Europe’s hypocrisy and China concern
Former diplomat says the EU’s insistence on opening up on wine imports from France and automobile imports from Germany have held up the EU-India FTA negotiations.
Big pharma, IP wars and profit over people
At RCEP negotiations held in India, intellectual property rights issues in medicine remain contentious
NAFTA could replay TPP biologics debate
A battle over the length of data protection for biologic medicine appears to be shaping up in the NAFTA negotiations in a replay of an issue that helped block the Trans-Pacific Partnership from becoming law.
Business groups to the administration: Keep ISDS in NAFTA
More than 100 U.S. business groups and associations are pushing the Trump administration to not only preserve investor-state dispute settlement and related provisions in an updated NAFTA agreement but to also strengthen them to further protect intellectual property and interests.
Interview with Loon Gangte
Loon Gangte is an Indian activist living with HIV and hepatitis C, founder of the Delhi Network of Positive People.
US dairy ramps up fight against EU food name protection
The U.S. dairy sector is fighting harder than ever on several fronts to halt the European Union’s global efforts to block cheese producers in other countries from using names like Roquefort, Asiago and Gorgonzola on the products they export.
Medicines in India likely to be costlier due to RCEP trade pact
However, the key issues holding the final text of these negotiations don’t seem to be getting resolved.
New Zealand negotiator at Asia trade pact talks says countries should analyse TRIPS-Plus
The negotiator’s comments were non-committal but indicated that for now, the RCEP talks have not yet moved decisively into a TRIPS-plus scenario.
RCEP IP chapter: A serious threat to access to knowledge/cultural goods?
RCEP stands to adversely affect nearly half of the world’s population on areas like access to knowledge and access to medicines. We would like to highlight five issues related to access to knowledge/cultural goods, based on the leaked IP chapter.