bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

intellectual property

NAFTA deal close, but obstacles remain
31-Aug-2018 RFI
US and Canada officials continue to meet but there are three key issues to resolve: dairy, intellectual property, dispute settlement.
New NAFTA could include tough intellectual property laws that Canada fought against in TPP
29-Aug-2018 Global News
The new trade deal reached between the US and Mexico contains a myriad of rules and tariffs, and among them include tougher rules on copyright and intellectual property.
Trade agreements privatising biodiversity outside the WTO: 2018 update
28-Aug-2018 GRAIN
FTAs often oblige countries to adopt or implement the UPOV convention, what some call "Monsanto laws".
Italy threatens to bring down EU-Canada free trade deal
31-Jul-2018 WSJ
Citing farmers’ complaints, antiestablishment government vows to seek parliamentary veto, which would annul pact for all partners
Trade deals putting health at risk
20-Jul-2018 Bangkok Post
A leaked draft of the negotiating text has revealed some proposed harmful intellectual property provisions that could undermine access to price-lowering, generic medicines, and thus, life-saving treatment to millions of people.
The myth behind health and trade agreements – Q&A with Othoman Mellouk
20-Jun-2018 IP Watch
Dr Othoman Mellouk is a Moroccan treatment advocate who has been working on intellectual property and access to medicines for more than a decade.
Tokyo approves bill in next step toward enactment of new Trans-Pacific Partnership
13-Jun-2018 The Japan Times
Japan’s bicameral legislature, The Diet has approved a bill on to ratify the 11-country Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
CPTPP jeopardises the future of open source software: OSIA
13-Jun-2018 Spatial Source
Open Source Industry Australia (OSIA) is calling upon the federal government to scrap the CPTPP over provisions that could decimate the Australian open source community.
EU and Mercosur aim to settle GI protection in renewed trade talks
6-Jun-2018 IEG
The EU and the Mercosur countries have started a fresh round of trade discussions in which both parties seek to strike an agreement on the key aspects of Geographical Indications and tariff reductions for car exports.
European Parliament delegation in China to discuss trade
9-May-2018 Latin America Herald Tribune
The European lawmakers will discuss the recently-imposed US tariffs on steel and aluminum, the question of overcapacity, a bilateral investment agreement, market access and intellectual property rights among other topics.
Ukraine eyes patent law reform after civil society push on medicines access
2-May-2018 IP Watch
Ukrainian lawmakers are poised to approve sweeping patent reform legislation, driven in large part by a push by patients’ groups for better access to affordable medicines and healthcare.
EU upgrades IPR category of PH in terms of protection, enforcement
30-Apr-2018 Manila Bulletin
Despite serious concerns on copyright piracy, the EU has raised the Philippines’ standing from “bad” to “better” in the area of protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.
Drug patent extensions under CETA could cost feds $270M a year: PBO
27-Apr-2018 iPolitics
Extended patent protections under Canada’s free trade deal with the European Union could cost the federal government some $270 million a year, according to a new report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer.
‘Pakistan, China expected to sign revised FTA this year’
25-Apr-2018 The News
Pakistan and China are expected to sign the revised bilateral free trade agreement anytime during this year as the two sided are currently deliberating on the subject, Commerce Minister Pervez Malik said on Tuesday.
Dozens of NGOs oppose proposed EU watch list on IP rights
18-Apr-2018 IP Watch
A wide-ranging list of international nongovernmental organisations issued a letter to European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström opposing a proposal to establish a “watch list” of countries deemed failing to protect European intellectual property.
Economic ties with China still thorny / Intellectual property, steel remain problematic
18-Apr-2018 The Japan Times
The Japan-China high-level economic dialogue on Monday — the first such meeting in about eight years — marked a first step toward resetting a bilateral relationship that has been under strain amid such issues as perceptions of history and deepening economic ties.
Solutions for a stalled NAFTA: Stop pushing so hard on IP, and release the text
12-Apr-2018 EFF
Although advances have been made in some chapters, reports suggest that virtually the whole of the agreement’s IP chapter remains up in the air.
MSF statement on resumption of EU-India FTA negotiations
11-Apr-2018 MSF Access Campaign
Officials from the European Union (EU) and India are expected to meet in Brussels on April 12th to resume technical talks on the long-stalled EU-India free trade agreement (FTA). A leaked draft of the agreement, which has been under discussion since 2007, contains proposals from the EU that push for intellectual property (IP) provisions in the FTA that could jeopardize access to affordable medicines.
Copyright in Mercosur-EU trade agreement: A little better, but mostly worse
9-Apr-2018 Creative Commons
While it’s positive that at least the parties are coming to the conclusion to forego the gratuitous copyright term extension, most of the changes in the consolidated text show a continued tightening of copyright protections that favor incumbent rights holders at the expense of users and the commons.
Why intellectual property laws aren’t worth defending
3-Apr-2018 The Week
By treating IP laws as just another football in the America vs. China rivalry, Trump misses the way elites in both countries can use malformed trade policy to undercut workers in both countries.