Intergovernmental South Centre Issues Statement On “US Attacks On Indian IP Policy”

The South Centre, the Geneva-based intergovernmental organisation of developing countries, yesterday issued a statement calling on World Trade Organization members to oppose United States pressure against developing countries, and India in particular, over their intellectual property laws.

The statement argues that Indian policies are in line with the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), and asserts that countries have the right to use flexibilities in the TRIPS Agreement. One area that has been of particular concern is a decision by the US International Trade Commission to investigate Indian practices.

Below is the opening of the statement:

“South Centre Statement on US attacks on Indian IP policy

The following is a Statement issued by the South Centre on 4 March 2014

The South Centre calls on WTO Members to Respect the Legitimacy of the Use of TRIPS Flexibilities for Public Health in light of new threats of unilateral trade measures by the United States against India over its Intellectual Property Laws and Regulations

The South Centre is deeply concerned that developing countries, and more recently the government of India, are facing increasing pressure from the United States of America to reform their intellectual property (IP) laws. The Indian IP laws include balanced provisions to ensure that IP rights do not hinder the ability of the government to adopt measures for promoting development priorities, particularly in the area of public health. These are fully in line with the TRIPS Agreement and reaffirmed by the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health.

A link to the full statement from the South Centre is available here.