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intellectual property

Observers watchful of US trade impact on medicines access
24-Jul-2007 IP Watch
The United States has begun incorporating a revised intellectual property and health policy into its bilateral trade deals. But although the overall softer approach towards its partners may improve access to medicines, the debate on the impact of the US free trade agreements on public health in developing countries is not over, according to close observers.
Switzerland and China eye possible free trade deal
9-Jul-2007
Swiss Economic Affairs Minister Doris Leuthard and Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai pledged in Beijing to study the feasibility of a free trade deal.
Dominican Republic is ratified as head of Customs group for the Americas
20-Jun-2007
Dominican Republic was ratified as country president of the Intellectual Property Work Group for the American Hemisphere, in recognition of the Customs Agency’s (DGA) work in copyrights, as the DR-CAFTA trade agreement and international treaties stipulate.
US-Bahamas Letter of Understanding on copyright (2000)
17-Jun-2007 Trade Compliance Center
US-Latvia Trade Relations and IPR Agreement (1994)
17-Jun-2007 Trade Compliance Center
EU in danger of breaking its promise to the poor
10-Jun-2007 Financial Times
In its economic partnership agreement (EPA) negotiations with the ACP, the European Union seems to have forgotten the development dimension and pursues an agenda that reflects primarily the interest of the EU alone. This pattern is painfully evident in the EU’s pursuit of new and higher standards for intellectual property and other trade-related areas.
Will EU break promise to poor?
7-Jun-2007 Financial Times
Letter to the Editors, Financial Times, 25 May 2007, on the proposed intellectual property provisions of the EPAs.
Vice-like grip of US copyright laws bears down on Australians
5-Jun-2007 ARNnet
There will be more criminal prosecutions for intellectual property violations as a result of Australia’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, according to leading IP academics.
U.S. Cracks Down on Copyright
4-Jun-2007
There will be more criminal prosecutions for intellectual property (IP) violations as a result of Australia’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, according to leading IP academics.
Korea: No more free downloads of music after FTA
31-May-2007 AsiaMedia
The Korea-US free trade agreement (FTA) means a lot more than the simple scrapping of tariffs. The full text of the pact released by the government showed that the strengthened protection on intellectual property rights will affect our daily lives.
Poisonous articles on IPR chapter in Korea-US FTA (eg. shutting down internet sites)
31-May-2007
We are very worried about the Korea-US FTA’s IPR chapter and its confirmation letters. They have very dangerous things which the former US FTA didn’t have. If this Korea US FTA is passed, then the US will request other countries to include these things in the following FTA.
Bipartisan trade deal: USTR "fact sheets"
13-May-2007 USTR
’New trade policy for America’
11-May-2007 House and Ways Committee
The agreement announced today is a fundamental shift in US trade policy and clears the way for broad, bipartisan congressional support for the Peru and Panama FTAs.
US action plan must be opposed, groups tell govt
11-May-2007
Thai Aids activists and academics called on the Commerce Ministry yesterday to reject the "action plan" proposed by the United States to remove Thailand from its priority watch list for intellectual property protection.
FTA: The unstated reason for the watch list
11-May-2007
The US decision to put Thailand on its "priority watch list" this month was prompted by failed talks on a free trade agreement, as well as the patent-busting of US-made pharmaceuticals, a former US trade official said Friday.
Drug firms against trade changes
7-May-2007 Morning Call
US drugmakers, among the biggest proponents of free-trade agreements, are now lobbying to stop Democrats and the Bush administration from reworking pending trade deals to curb provisions that benefit the industry.
Exporting IP
7-May-2007 The New Yorker
Free-trade agreements that export our own restrictive intellectual property laws may make the world safe for Pfizer, Microsoft, and Disney, but they don’t deserve the name free trade.
Drug makers fear trade deal from House Dems, administration
3-May-2007 The Hill
Research-based pharmaceutical companies could be among the biggest losers if House Democrats and the Bush administration reach an agreement on trade, industry sources said this week.
Drug dispute could lead to trade trouble
29-Apr-2007
The Thai government’s showdown with multinational drug companies over compulsory licensing could result in a downgrade on Washington’s watch list of countries with poor intellectual property (IP) rights protection, trade sources say.
JPEPA: The Philippine fall into the IPR bilateral trap
25-Apr-2007 SEARICE
The Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement poses serious questionable intellectual property provisions which ultimately undermine the rights of Filipino farmers, communities and the public in general.