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intellectual property

Malaysia too hasty in signing EFTA trade agreement
1-Jul-2025 Consumers’ Association of Penang
Consumers’ Association of Penang express strong disappointment over Malaysia’s rushed signing of a trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, criticizing the government’s failure to address concerns about the intellectual property (IP) provisions.
Remove TRIPS+ demands from the EFTA-Malaysia Free-Trade Agreement
25-Jun-2025 Alliance Sud
The undersigned Swiss NGOs are urging the Swiss government to actively engage within EFTA to drop these provisions known as TRIPS+.
Malaysia – EFTA Economic Partnership Agreement (MEEPA) will jeopardise public health, access to seeds & farmers’ rights
17-Jun-2025 Consumers’ Association of Penang
Consumers’ Association of Penang submitted a Memorandum on June 2025 to strongly urge the Malaysian government not to rush to endorse and/or sign the trade deal with EFTA. If a deal is to be signed, such a deal must not contain any TRIPS-plus obligation.
Malaysia-European Free Trade Association partnership agreement could negatively impact many sectors, says CAP
16-Jun-2025 The Star
The proposed Malaysia-EFTA Economic Partnership Agreement (MEEPA) could negatively affect public health, farmers’ rights, and food security in Malaysia. It includes "TRIPS-plus" intellectual property provisions that extend patent monopolies, limit access to affordable generic medicines, and increase drug costs.
Malaysia-EFTA economic partnership agreement (MEEPA) would tie Malaysia’s hands on access to medicines
12-Jun-2025 Info Justice
Malaysian negotiators have accepted intellectual property protections above those required by the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, which will adversely affect affordable and equitable access to medicines in Malaysia for generations.
EFTA-Malaysia FTA: Protection of intellectual property annex (June 2025)
5-Jun-2025
India, EU may go for comprehensive FTA; investment, GI pacts to follow later
4-Jun-2025 The Economic Times
India and the European Union are likely to agree upon a comprehensive free trade agreement instead of an interim deal, an official said.
India keeps data exclusivity out of UK FTA to protect local drug makers
13-May-2025 Financial Express
India safeguards its $25B generic drug industry by excluding data exclusivity from the UK FTA, ensuring affordable drug access and faster generic launches.
Why the Kenya/UAE comprehensive economic partnership is bad for Kenya’s health sector
1-May-2025 Citizen Digital
On January 14 this year, President William Ruto and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between their respective countries.
How America ripped off Australia with ’free trade’
17-Mar-2025 ABC
Trump’s trade war has only just begun and while Australia has been right to steer clear of retaliation, it may deliver some scope in abandoning the worst aspects of our free trade agreements.
Thailand signed FTA with EFTA: no worries about TRIPs Plus, except Border Measure & IP Enforcement
17-Feb-2025 Access to Medicines
While the Thailand - EFTA agreemnts avoids TRIPS-plus measures that would directly impact medicine access and the universal healthcare system, Thai CSOs group remain concerns regarding border measures and intellectual property enforcement.
Thai CSOs warn the senate’s subcommittee about the ongoing FTA negotiation with the EU on TRIPs-plus provisions harmful to access to medicines
10-Jan-2025 Access to Medicines
FTA Watch representatives warned that stricter IP rules in a potential EU FTA could impact access to medicines, increase healthcare costs, and harm Thailand’s domestic pharmaceutical industry. They also highlighted concerns about EU demands regarding government procurement, plant variety protection (UPOV 1991), and import of remanufactured goods.
Seeds, UPOV91 and trade deals: our response to the Government position
3-Dec-2024 Transform Trade
The UK has an opportunity to lead by example, removing UPOV91 provisions from trade deals and redirecting development assistance toward farmer-led initiatives.
Thai CSOs’ letter to the EU chief negotiator regarding concerns over the ongoing FTA negotiation with Thailand
29-Nov-2024 Access to medicines
Civil society and non-government organizations in Thailand oppose the provisions proposed by the EU that will have a vast and adverse impact on access to medicines, universal health coverage scheme, agriculture, food sovereignty, consumer protection, and livelihoods of Thai people.
Civil society groups unite to monitor the 4th round of Thailand-EU FTA negotiation
26-Nov-2024 Thaiplus Net
Thai civil society groups, including FTA Watch and the Thai Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, have expressed serious concerns over the ongoing Thailand-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations. Key issues include stricter intellectual property rights, which could impact access to affordable medicines, and potential threats to food security and public health. The groups are urging the Thai government to prioritize public health and environmental concerns over corporate interests.
AfCFTA: protocol on intellectual property rights (Oct 2024)
9-Oct-2024
Farmers, food and freedom
13-Sep-2024 Transform Trade
How trade deals are undermining the right to seeds.
US, Chile further extend Free Trade Agreement
6-Sep-2024 Dairy Foods
The enhanced agreement would further protect some US cheeses from losing access once the European Union’s geographical indications commitments enter into force.
I-EU CEPA negotiations hijack democratic rights and ignore potentional impacts on society
4-Jul-2024 Indonesia AIDS Coalition
Indonesia for Global Justice (IGJ) and the Indonesia AIDS Coalition (IAC) criticized the I-EU CEPA, which hijacked the people’s rights to democracy while ignoring the negotiations’ wider impact. The I-EU CEPA negotiations lacked transparency, ignored public aspirations, and did not allow for meaningful participation from civil society groups.
Next steps on the USMCA corn case: What the panelists should ask
25-Jun-2024 IATP
This week the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) dispute over Mexico’s restrictions on genetically modified (GM) corn and glyphosate enters a new phase.