On Wednesday, May 18, 2011, eight civil society organizations submitted joint comments and recommendations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). Continue Reading
This is the statement that was delivered by Karin L. Ferriter (from USPTO and USTR), at a UNITAID side event on the Medicines Patent Pool, during a break of the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents.
Statement on Medicines Patent Pool Side EventThe USTR Special 301 Report, some initial reactions
The USTR Special 301 Report was issued today. The full report is here, the USTR web page on the report is here, and a link to the USTR press release about the report is here. Continue Reading
Ambassador Kirk’s responses to Senate Finance Committee suggests enforcement of TRIPS-plus data exclusivity measures
Recently, Ambassador Ron Kirk, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) responded to follow up questions from the U.S. Senate Finance Committee regarding the 2011 Trade Agenda. In addition to asserting that the U.S. Congress is not bound by ACTA, the responses suggest USTR desire to establish requirements for the implementation of data exclusivity provisions.
April 2011 report on negotiations for a WIPO copyright treaty for persons who are blind or have other disabilities
KEI Research Note 2011:1
April 7, 2011Background and update on negotiations for a WIPO copyright treaty for persons who are blind or have other disabilities
Introduction
UN Rapporteur for the Right to Health asked to intervene in the TPP negotiation
The following groups and individuals have written to Anand Grover, the Special Rapporteur for the United Nations on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, to lodge a complaint about the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP is a regional free trade agreement being negotiated by the governments of Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Peru, Vietnam and the United States.
The complete Feb 10, 2011 text of the US proposal for the TPP IPR chapter
KEI has obtained the February 10, 2011 US government draft of the intellectual property chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).
Comments on Incentivizing Humanitarian Technologies and Licensing Through the Intellectual Property System
On September 20, 2010, the PTO published “Request for Comments on Incentivizing Humanitarian Technologies and Licensing Through the Intellectual Property System” in the Federal Register (75 Fed. Reg. 57261, available here):
KEI comments on Tibotec voluntary licenses of a new HIV-AIDS product
Today, Tibotec, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, announced it has signed voluntary licensing agreements with several Indian and South African generic companies to allow generic competition on a new HIV-AIDS treatment, the investigational non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor rilpivirine hydrochloride (TMC278) (rilpivirine hydrochloride), to certain developing countries. Continue Reading
Notes from meeting with USTR on the TPP IPR chapter
Today USTR provided some additional insight into negotiations of a regional, Asia-Pacific trade agreement, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement. The USTR web page on the TPP negotiations is http://www.ustr.gov/tpp. At present, the TPP negotiators include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Japan and Canada have expressed interest in joining the negotiations, and USTR clearly would like to design an agreement that will be open to other countries. Our discussions focused on the intellectual property chapter in the agreement. Continue Reading