U.S. Seeks “High Level” IP Agreements In Middle East

Washington, D.C.–U.S. trade negotiators working toward bilateral free trade agreements with Middle Eastern countries are seeking to maintain the same level of intellectual property rights protection achieved in other bilateral deals, a U.S. trade official said Monday.

“We want to have high standards” on intellectual property, Catherine Novelli, assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Mediterranean, said in a telephone press briefing. The agreements the United States has negotiated so far contain “high level” provisions on intellectual property rights, she said, adding, “We would expect these to be the same.”

High quality intellectual property provisions not only benefit the United States, but they are good for those countries that want to be able to attract high-tech, high-quality jobs, she said.

Novelli spoke at the conclusion of the first round of separate bilateral negotiations with Oman and the United Arab Emirates, which she is leading.

She said progress with the two nations was so rapid that they expect to conclude and sign the agreements by year’s end if not sooner. With Oman, agreement has been reached on some aspects of the proposed treaty text tabled by the United States, Novelli said, though she would not specify which areas were under agreement already. Labor provisions also are expected to be the same too, she said.

The larger U.S. goal is to have an overarching regional trade agreement by 2013, and each of the individual bilateral agreements is seen as a step toward that goal. Each agreement turns out differently, depending on the situation of each country. With Egypt, Qatar and Kuwait, expert-to-expert meetings are being held on specific areas, Novelli said, adding that the Bush administration hopes to get approval for its agreement with Bahrain this summer. She did not rule out Israel being part of the agreement eventually.

If the region were counted as a whole, it would be the United States’ seventh-largest trading partner, she said.

The second round with Oman is scheduled for April 18, with the United Arab Emirates in the week to follow.