U.S., Andean Negotiators Dodge Toughest IP Issues For Now 21/03/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Washington, D.C.–U.S. and Andean negotiators last week discussed several intellectual property issues but saved the most difficult ones for the next round, a senior U.S. trade official said Monday. Regina Vargo, assistant U.S. trade representative for the Americas and the lead U.S. negotiator, said that in talks between the United States and the Andean countries […]
U.S. Seeks “High Level” IP Agreements In Middle East 14/03/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment 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 […]
Clash Continues On U.S.-Central America Trade Deal 01/03/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Protection of pharmaceutical patents may not be the biggest reason the Bush administration is struggling to line up congressional votes for a free trade agreement with five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic, but it remains critical to its passage. The issue pits two sides against each other within a larger, ongoing struggle to […]
The Domino Effect of US FTAs: Public Health Groups, Members of Congress claim CAFTA will choke Access to Medicines 04/11/2004 by Isabelle Scherer for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Recent efforts to rally Congress to approve a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) reached earlier this year with Central American countries has reignited debate about USTR’s approach to intellectual property and the implications for access to essential medicines. The Agreement with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua was reached in May 2004 and supplemented […]
USTR’s Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property Rights: Public Interest Groups Still Calling for a Voice 04/11/2004 by Isabelle Scherer for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In the wake of a series of U.S. free trade agreements (FTAs) which include ‘TRIPS-plus’ commitments on intellectual property, civil society groups are again urging the United States to better incorporate public interest views in the formulation of its trade strategy. Since the late 1990s, consumer advocates, such as James Love of the Consumer Project […]