Knowledge Ecology International

As the UN meets to discuss non-communicable diseases, one area of controversy is the effort by White House trade officials and the European Commissioner for Trade to block any mention in a Political Declaration of the November 14, 2001 WTO Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health.

This note explains why the Doha Declaration was important, and what USTR and DG-Trade are trying to do in the NCD resolution. I will start with a very quick history of the events that led to the 2001 WTO resolution.

Continue Reading →

Michael W. Michalak, former Ambassador to Vietnam, pressured Vietnam on behalf of PhRMA.

Cables recently published by Wikileaks illustrate the degree to which the U.S. has been engaged in writing laws and training judges and government officials in Vietnam, on a wide range of pharmaceutical and intellectual property issues.

Continue Reading →

USTR has released its new White Paper on Access to Medicine. Here is the press release. A copy of the White Paper is available here:

USTR_11sep2011_TPP_Trade_Goals_Medicines.pdf

Continue Reading →

Last year the USPTO announced the award of $4 million in fy 2009 grants to advise developing couintries on intellectual property policies. The first set of grants were done under Arti Rai, then Administrator for External Affairs at USTPO. The grants went to a variety on pro-right owner groups, including those associated with Newt Gingrich and the Tea Party, and several supported by firms like Pfizer and Microsoft. Seven of the groups receiving the fy 2009 have in common the fact they received funding from either Microsoft or the Gates Foundation.

Continue Reading →

Submission of Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) to the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP): Patents and Health

11 September 2011

Thiru Balasubramaniam

Continue Reading →

The United States and the European Union are using a United Nations High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) to effectively renegotiate a landmark agreement on intellectual property rights and public health.

Continue Reading →

Hillary Clinton and Nicolas Sarkozy, March 14, 2011

President Obama and Mark Pekala, June 6, 2009, Paris

France gets an A+ from the US for its anti consumer intellectual property related policies

Continue Reading →

September 6, 2011
KEI staff review of Wikileaks cables (/wikileaks)

Feb 28, 2003 | Turkey | Consulate Istanbul | Differences Among U.s. Firms Give Rise To New Association Of Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies
Continue Reading →

WTO PUBLIC FORUM 2011

TITLE: Proposal for a WTO Agreement on the Supply of Knowledge as a Public Good

DATE: Wednesday, 21 September 2011

TIME: 16:15-18:15

VENUE: Room E (located on 3rd floor), World Trade Organization

REGISTRATION: Mandatory, please complete the registration form by 14 September 2011.

Continue Reading →