Author: James Love

The attached letter, dated April 10, 2014 and signed by a bipartisan group of 32 members of the House of Representatives, asks USTR to elevate Canada to the Special 301 “priority watch list,” for “violation of their international obligations” for not granting enough patents on “innovative medicines.” According to the members of Congress signing the letter, Canada is in violation of its WTO TRIPS obligations. Continue Reading →

On April 1, 2014, ViiV, a consortium of Pfizer and GSK, and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), announced two new licensing agreements that expand generic competition for dolutegravir (DTG), and integrase inhibitor used for the treatment of adult and pediatric HIV infection. (MPP press release here.) Dolutegravir is a new drug, approved for marketing by the US FDA on August 12, 2013. Continue Reading →

ZEIT ONLINE has published the EU’s July 2, 2013 proposals for TRADE IN SERVICES, INVESTMENT AND E-COMMERCE in the TTIP negotiation. A copy of the proposal is available here. Tags: ISDS, TTIP

TRADE IN SERVICES, INVESTMENT AND E-COMMERCE
Chapter I General provisions
Chapter II Investment
Chapter III Cross border supply of services
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Here is the REVISED agenda for the Special 301 hearing on February 24. Public Citizen has been added to the list of witnesses, and USTR now lists the names of the speakers for the various trade associations. Unlike recent years, the level of participation by major trade organizations is significant.

SPECIAL 301 PUBLIC HEARING
February 24, 2014 – 10:00 a.m.

Office of the United States Trade Representative
1724 F Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20508

The Special 301 Hearing is open to the public. Members of the press are welcome to attend.
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The Alliance for Fair Trade with India (AFTI) was created in June 2013, to lobby for “increased action to address the erosion of intellectual property rights (“IPR”) in India.” According to the group, it is “comprised of organizations representing a range of U.S. industries adversely impacted by India’s troubling and frequently discriminatory policies, including manufacturing, agriculture, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and beyond.”

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A February 7, 2014 Special 301 submission from the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) asks USTR to bring trade sanctions against China for granting and enforcing “junk patents.” The NFTC also wants patent enforcement to be strickly a private civil remedy (Contrast to the USTR demands that countries implement linkage between drug registration and patents), and complains about China rules that would require employers to more fairly compensation the Chinese inventors they Continue Reading →

Attached in the February 7, 2014, KEI Special 301 Submission.

KEI was a web page with more context on the Special 301 reports, including links to several submissions, and all Special 301 Reports from 1989 to 2013 (all that exist), here: /ustr/special301 Continue Reading →

Three NGOs, Medicus Mundi International, HAI and MSF, each read statements during the EB discussions on the CEWG demonstration projects. The statements were limited to 300 words, and NGOs were required to provide the text 24 hours before the agenda item, and obtain WHO approval of the content. KEI worked with HAI on its statement, and the Peoples Health Movement worked with MMI on its statement. The text of the HAI and MMI statements follow:

Health Action International (HAI) statement to EB 134 On agenda item 9.3, follow up to CEWG on financing and coordination

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