Intellectual Property/TRIPS

Global Civil Society letter on the Nairobi Ministerial of the World Trade Organization (WTO), December 9, 2015

Manicandan — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 19:28:26 +0000

9 December, 2015

Refuse signatories

As members of 453 civil society organizations including trade unions, environmentalists, farmers, development advocates, and public interest groups from over 150 countries, we are writing today to express extreme alarm about the current situation of the negotiations in the WTO. We urge you to take seriously the need for the upcoming Nairobi Ministerial to change existing WTO rules to make the global trading system more compatible with people-centered development, and to forestall efforts by some developed countries to abandon the development agenda and replace it with a set of so-called “new issues” that actually are non-trade issues that would impact deeply on domestic economies and constrain national policy space required for development and public interest.

9 December, 2015 (All day)

Unconditional 17-year exemption from pharmaceuticals patents agreed

Manicandan — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 07:35:11 +0000

3 November, 2015

TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Nov15/02)

The United States and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) at the World Trade Organization have reached agreement ad referendum on a pharmaceutical patent exemption for a duration of 17 years, according to trade diplomats. With this exemption, the world’s poorest nations will not be obliged “to implement or apply” or “to enforce” patents as well as test data protection for pharmaceutical products until 1 January 2033.

3 November, 2015 (All day)

Away from the Glare, a Push for More Stringent IPR Protection at the WTO

Manicandan — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 11:11:20 +0000

2 November, 2015

The Wire

The United States and Switzerland want the right to file complaints for loss of trade ‘benefits’ even against countries whose intellectual property rights laws are fully consistent with international agreements

2 November, 2015 (All day)

“Unconscionable and indefensible” – U.S. 10-year offer to LDCs for pharmaceutical patent waiver

Manicandan — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 07:31:01 +0000

21 October, 2015

TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Oct15/14)

The United States’ offer to least developed countries of a 10-year transition period to grant pharmaceutical patents is “unconscionable and indefensible”, according to six influential US non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In a letter dated 19 October to President Barack Obama, the NGOs conveyed this strong criticism in view of the public health and other developmental challenges facing least developed countries (LDCs).

21 October, 2015 (All day)

Letter from Civil Society Regarding Future Agenda of the WTO Negotiations

Manicandan — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 05:17:12 +0000

8 July, 2015

Refuse signatories

341 organizations of civil society from over 100 countries of the global North and South, as consumer groups, environmentalists, trade unions, farmers, and other development advocates, have sent a letter to WTO members regarding the wrong direction of the current WTO talks, and urged the governments to substantially turnaround the negotiations in advance of the December Ministerial in Nairobi.

8 July, 2015 (All day)

Strong support for LDC pharmaceuticals exemption request

Manicandan — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 06:07:37 +0000

17 June, 2015

TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Jun15/13)

A large majority of Members, mainly developing countries, have voiced strong support at the meeting of the TRIPS Council (9-10 June) for the request by the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) for an extension of the transitional period with regard to the intellectual property protection of pharmaceutical products, which is set to expire on 1 January 2016.

17 June, 2015 (All day)

Letter to WTO Members Seeking Extension of TRIPS Transitional Period on Pharmaceutical Produtcs for LDCs

Manicandan — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 10:04:22 +0000

5 June, 2015

Refuse signatories

Civil Society Letter to Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO): Request by least developed country members for an extension of the transitional period with respect to pharmaceutical products and for waivers from the obligation of articles 70.8 and 70.9 of the trips agreement

5 June, 2015 (All day)

Global Civil Society Letter to Roberto Azevêdo on Yemen’s Accession Commitments on IP

Manicandan — Sat, 30 Nov 2013 04:13:06 +0000

28 November, 2013

Refuse signatories

In this letter to Mr. Roberto Azevêdo, Director General, WTO, 162 organizations expressed concerns regarding intellectual property commitments being forced on Yemen as part of its WTO accession package that will be presented for formal adoption, to the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali, 3-6 December 2013.

28 November, 2013 (All day)

What's Going on at the WTO? : Opportunities and Risks Before the 9th Ministerial Meeting

Manicandan — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 07:36:21 +0000

18 November, 2013

The Huffington Post

In this critical blog Deborah James, Director, International Programs at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, writes on some of the key messages from the Global civil society, trade unions and people's movements on What's Going on at the WTO? Opportunities and Risks Before the 9th Ministerial Meeting.

18 November, 2013 (All day)

NGOs Condemn the EU Press Release on TRIPS Extension for LDCs

Manicandan — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 17:03:03 +0000

21 June, 2013

Accept signatories

On 11th June 2013, the WTO TRIPS Council took a decision (IP/C/64) to extend for a further 8 years, the flexibility of least developed country (LDC) Members under Article 66.1 to not apply the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement except for Articles 3, 4 and 5 (which concern national treatment and most-favored nation treatment). This decision was a compromise deal as the EU and US exerted intense pressure on the LDCs to accept conditionalities that are not in favour of the people in the LDCs.

21 June, 2013 (All day)

LDCs get eight more years of exemption from WTO - TRIPS rules

Manicandan — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:33:08 +0000

11 June, 2013

Today (11 June 2013) the WTO-Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rules (TRIPS) Council adopted a decision granting Least Developed Countries (LDCs) an eight-year extension of the transition period, (deferring the time within which LDCs to implement the TRIPS Agreement), without the pernicious mandatory “no roll-back” clause (contained in the previous extension decision) which developed countries pushed hard to include.

11 June, 2013 (All day)

LDC Watch and OWINFS Call on the WTO TRIPS Council Chair to Stop the Ongoing Unfair Informal Negotiations on the LDC TRIPS Waiver Extension

Manicandan — Thu, 23 May 2013 05:52:24 +0000

21 May, 2013

LDC Watch and Our World Is Not For Sale Call on the WTO TRIPS Council Chair to Stop the Ongoing Unfair Informal Negotiations on the LDC TRIPS Waiver Extension

21 May, 2013 (All day)

Pronunciamiento de la ASC ante la nueva cumbre ministerial de la OMC

karen.lang — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:31:40 +0000

30 November, 2009

Alianza Social Continental

Entre el 30 de noviembre y el 2 de diciembre de 2009 se realizará en Ginebra la VII reunión ministerial de la OMC. Será un nuevo esfuerzo de reanudar las negociaciones de la Ronda de Doha, iniciada hace 8 años, y un escenario donde los países desarrollados nuevamente intentarán imponer su propia agenda de liberalización y desregulación de los mercados.

30 November, 2009 (All day)

U.S. Civil Society Platform on Trade-Related IP and Access to Medicines Issues

verda.cook — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:16:27 +0000

8 June, 2009

Essential Action, Access to Medicines Project

The following represents four key goals that our organizations agree should guide US trade policy and practice with regard to intellectual property (IP) and health matters.

8 June, 2009 (All day)

TRIPS and FTAs have adverse impact on access to drugs

verda.cook — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:08:56 +0000

4 June, 2009

SUNS #6712

TRIPS and FTAs have adverse impact on access to drugs

Geneva, 3 Jun (Kanaga Raja) -- The WTO TRIPS Agreement and the TRIPS-plus
provisions in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) have had an adverse impact on
prices and availability of medicines, making it difficult for countries to
comply with their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the right to
health, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Mr Anand Grover,
said on Tuesday.

4 June, 2009 (All day)