Copyright and related rights issues in the USTR Special 301 Report 2020

Since 1974, the “Special 301 Report” (the Report) provides an annual review of the state of intellectual property protection and enforcement among U.S. trading partners around the world. Amended in 1988 by Congress, the Trade Act is “to provide for… Continue Reading

Open letter asking 37 WTO Members to declare themselves eligible to import medicines manufactured under compulsory license in another country, under 31bis of TRIPS Agreement

Background In 2001, the World Trade Organization (WTO) began negotiations on the rules regarding patents and access to medicine. While several issues were clarified and resolved in the November 2001 “Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health”, the negotiations took… Continue Reading

Submission of Knowledge Ecology International on the Draft General Comment: Science and economic, social and cultural rights Art. 15: 15.1b, 15.2, 15.3 and 15.4

On Friday, 14 February 2020, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) submitted the following comments on the Draft General Comment on Science and economic, social and cultural rights prepared by the the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural rights (CESCR). The draft… Continue Reading

FOIA: Records of USTR Lighthizer Bilateral Meetings at 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos

Through a Freedom of Information Act request, KEI has obtained records relating to US Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Lighthizer’s attendance at the 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. While many of the records were related to scheduling and re-scheduling… Continue Reading

UNDP, Unitaid, and WHO caught in Big Pharma’s crosshairs

PhRMA’s Special 301 submissions are part of a yearly ritual to shape the “Special 301” Report, an annual review of the global state of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and enforcement, conducted by the Office of the United States Trade… Continue Reading