ISDS Case Map
intellectual property
Traditional knowledge has come up in a dozen or so FTA drafting processes over the last couple of years. In half of those cases, specific provisions on traditional knowledge were signed.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today applauded the Bush Administration's announcement to begin free trade negotiations with Malaysia. "Malaysia is an important market with a strong interest in developing its biotechnology industry," stated Jim Greenwood, President and CEO of BIO. "We look forward to working with US Trade Representative Rob Portman on this important initiative as Malaysia looks to enhance the development of its biotechnology sector.
A FEW pieces of legislation, mainly related to intellectual property rights, need to be passed in Bahrain before its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US can be implemented, US Ambassador William T Monroe said yesterday.However, this should not prevent both sides from marketing the FTA in full force, he said.
Open letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
The critical lesson for developing countries accepting IPRs commitments in FTAs
with the United States is that US IPRs law is replete with exceptions to the general rules, in
many cases elaborated in considerable detail. If developing countries accept obligations in the
FTAs, they must also be prepared to implement a significant level of exceptions so as to create a
reasonable balance within their own law. If they do not implement these exceptions, they will
find themselves not only with TRIPS-plus levels of IPRs protection, but also with US-plus
levels of IPRs protection.
Access to medicine is at the forefront of multilateral debates surrounding the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs). This paper argues that bilateralism allows the United States to circumvent these debates and to set standards that serve and protect the pharmaceutical industry.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) this week said the U.S. should drop partners in free trade agreement negotiations if talks on those agreements are not progressing.
Differences over pharmaceuticals could be overcome, but the countries are far from reaching a common understanding on biodiversity issues.
On 7 February 2006, the FTA Watch warned about the catastrophe that would arise from the US's FTA proposal to Thailand on Intellectual Property Rights which was submitted in the sixth round of negotiations.
Details of US proposals in free-trade talks with Thailand - perceived by many Thais as “forbidden information” the government has tried to cover up - were recently posted for all to see in cyberspace. Witoon Leanchamroon, director of BioThai, a non-government organisation working for bio-diversity and community rights, said at a press conference yesterday he had been told a group of Americans involved in public health issues had posted a full text of the patent chapter from the Thai-US free trade talks at www.bilaterals.org.
