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intellectual property


Australia may bow to pressure from US drug firms on FTA
Prime Minister John Howard may bow to a concerted campaign by American drug companies against the amendments that the government was forced into accepting upon pressure from the Labor Party.
EU-Mercosur resume trade talks in Lisbon
The European Union and Mercosur will resume trade negotiations today and decide whether the association agreement — an “utmost geo-strategic and commercial interest” for Brussels — can be reached before November 1 when a new team of European Commissioners takes over in Brussels.
Thai civil groups want IP off trade-talks agenda with US
Civil groups yesterday called for intellectual property (IP) to be excluded from the second round of the Thai-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiation because of fears it would give unjustified protection to rich IP developers at the expense of Thais.
UAE, US move towards FTA
The United Arab Emirates and US made significant progress towards a Free Trade Agreement on Wednesday, paving the way for negotiations to start in the near future.
US-SACU trade talks grind to a halt
Free trade talks between the five members of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and the largest economy in the world have reached a dead end.
Alert from Via Campesina Brazil on EU-Mercosur negotiations
From September 20th to 24th the negotiators for Mercosul [Mercado Común del Sur] met in Brussels. Among them were the negotiators from Brazil and the European Union to make bids on tariffs and integration processes.
USTR outlines importance of US-Andean trade accord
The entry into force of a U.S. free-trade agreement with Colombia, Ecuador and Peru will open important markets for the United States, bolster the economies and counternarcotics efforts in the Andean nations, and should be concluded in a timely fashion, says Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Peter Allgeier.
‘IPR laws can expedite investment pact with US’
The United States has said that the introduction and enforcement of Intellectual Property Right (IPR) laws and the resolution of existing investment disputes in Pakistan can expedite a bilateral investment treaty between the two countries.
Farmers risk violating US patents
Thai farmers risk being held liable for patent violations under patent application rights for genetically modified (GM) papaya being considered by American biotechnologists working with Thai scientists, experts said yesterday.
We denounce the Korea-Japan FTA
The governments of Korea and Japan have come together today, 350km away from Seoul, for their fifth negotiation to consolidate a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries. Ever since the negotiations were initiated last December, many NGOs and people’s organizations have shown concern over the planned FTA.
The work of USTR on intellectual property
In this work, we consult closely with Congress on our priorities and strategies; we use domestic trade law; regional initiatives in Europe, Asia (APEC), Latin America (FTAA) and Africa; existing institutions, notably the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Entertainment Industry Coalition For Free Trade Hails U.S. - Australia Free Trade Agreement
The Entertainment Industry Coalition for Free Trade (EIC), a group of leading entertainment companies, trade associations and entertainment unions and guilds, today applauded the conclusion of the U.S. - Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
US investment treaty: advantages and risks
Pakistan is among dozens of countries with whom the United States is seeking to sign, or has already signed, a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) as part of a calculated strategy to bypass the WTO where it finds little hope of any agreement on investment and other Singapore issues being clinched in the foreseeable future.
US businessmen back Arroyo reform agenda
American businessmen have given the thumbs up to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s move to undertake "painful" reforms in solving the fiscal crisis and a projected power crisis, Philippines-US Business Council chairman Ramon del Rosario Jr. said Thursday.
The Future of Patentability in International Law according to the CAFTA
While discussions stagnate at the WTO over access to medicines, protection of indigenous knowledge and technology transfer, the United States and other developed countries multiply bilateral ‘TRIPs-plus’treaties with developing countries.
US offers investment treaty to Pakistan
The United States has offered Pakistan a bilateral investment treaty, provided the country enforces intellectual property rights, anti-money laundering law and creates conducive regulatory environment, says Alan P Larson, US Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs.
AmCham lauds IPR law revisions
In light of Taiwan’s efforts to improve intellectual property rights (IPR) protection, the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (AmCham) yesterday said that it has been urging the US government to take action to remove Taiwan from its "Special 301 Priority Watch List" of IPR violators as quickly as possible.
Farm tariffs, IPRs seen as main obstacles to US-Andean FTA
Tariffs on agricultural products and definitions of intellectual property rights, particularly for pharmaceuticals, are shaping up as the most contentious issues in the free trade negotiations between the United States and three Andean nations, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Intellectual Property: We must not make any concession on medicines
The Colombian Germán Velásquez says that it was unfair for the US to veto the Argentine advisor Carlos Correa. He claims that poor countries must continue to have access to cheap medicines even if there are trade treaties. His request is that the Doha agreement is respected.