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intellectual property


Nigerian creative industry under the AfCFTA: Threats and opportunities
The Nigerian creative sector argues that the scalability of the industry within the AfCFTA will depend on the existence of a robust framework that supports IP rights and provides digital security.
In memory of Heesob Nam, a patent attorney who fought against vaccine inequality until the end
Heesob Nam, a patent attorney who dedicated his life to preventing the monopoly of ’intellectual property’ by a few, passed away on May 10th.
TRIPS Waiver: A BIT of a challenge for India
Potential BIT claims by foreign pharmaceutical companies against India for the revocation, suspension or non-enforcement of IPRs could undermine the benefits of a potential TRIPS waiver.
Canada-Chile agreement aimed at enhancing bilateral engagement on intellectual property issues
The memorandum of understanding creates a formal mechanism for the two countries to enhance bilateral engagement on IP under the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement.
EU and India agree to resume free-trade negotiations
The European Union and India agreed to resume stalled free-trade negotiations and seek closer cooperation to combat climate change at a virtual summit on Saturday.
US says China has fallen short on ‘phase one’ intellectual property commitments
The US criticised China for failing to fulfil commitments it made in the “phase one” trade deal a year ago to improve protections for the intellectual property of American companies.
Halloumi cheese EU regional naming rights raise concerns for New Zealand dairy
The New Zealand dairy industry says further moves by the EU to control the use of cheese names are of major concern.
ATPC embarks on first ever environmental assessment of the AfCFTA to usher in green-friendly trade on the continent
The African Trade Policy Centre is preparing the first ever Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the AfCFTA to guide on how environmental considerations can be effectively incorporated into the agreement.
Battle looms for Aussie dairy over Haloumi
Australia’s dairy industry is bracing for a fight over the name "haloumi", after the European Union voted to restrict cheese manufacturers outside of Cyprus from marketing haloumi cheese under that name.
EFTA insists on the UPOV clause in negotiating mandates for free trade agreements (FTAs)
EFTA’s response to the June 2020 open letter, supported by 250 organisations from around the world, is disappointing. EFTA maintains the UPOV 91 requirement in FTAs. The right to seeds therefore remains under pressure.
Patently unfair: Can waivers help solve COVID vaccine inequality?
The WTO General Council gathered virtually on Monday for the first of two days of talks amid increasing calls from civil society, states and nongovernmental actors to temporarily waive patents for COVID-19 vaccines and other coronavirus-related medical products.
China-EU agreement on geographical indications takes effect
GI is a label used for identifying the geographical origin of a product, and is an important type of intellectual property right.
Intellectual property and COVID-19 medicines: why a WTO waiver may not be enough
The COVID-19 pandemic, and the race to make vaccines and other useful technologies more accessible to people around the world, has once again highlighted the tension between intellectual property rights and the promotion of public health.
TNCs reviving TPP Frankenstein
Corporate globalisation and Covid-19 should also have taught developing countries that they must reject FTAs strengthening IPRs, ISDS and TNCs in order to secure policy space to ’build back better’.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Intellectual property and trade in the Pacific rim
This book considers the impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership [TPP] on intellectual property and trade.
India is ‘unlikely to re-think rejection of huge trade deal’
In November 2019, India pulled out of the deal primarily through concerns of dumping of manufactured goods from China and agricultural and dairy products from Australia and New Zealand, potentially affecting its own domestic industrial and farming sectors.
How China came to champion free trade
The Chinese government has been strengthening legal protection of intellectual property for many years – for China’s own benefit, not to keep the Americans or anyone else happy. So how much has been accomplished, how much remains to be done, and why?
Mining companies stand to win from Peru-China FTA that neglects environment
Ten years after the entry into force of the Peru-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA), officials from both countries are in stuck a slow renegotiation process in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Trade deals handing Japanese seeds to multinational corporations
Japan need a policy that is based on a major shift from industrial agriculture to agroecology by small farmers. For this to be possible Japan must pull out of TPP and other similar FTAs.
A new trend in trade agreements: Ensuring access to cancer drugs
People around the world need to be aware of precedents in recent trade agreements and ensure that they also work for access to medicines for their own citizens.