TACD meeting on IP Chapter for TTIP
On March 27, from noon to 3 pm, the IP Policy Committee of TACD will hold a meeting on the intellectual property chapter of the proposed U.S.-European Union Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
The meeting will be held at KEI’s offices at 1621 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20009
The meeting will begin with a presentations by George York from USTR and JoEllen Urban from the Department of State, following by comments by several respondents, and then a general discussion. This is an open event, and while not necessary, we would appreciate a note at events@keionline.org if you plan to attend. People who cannot attend in person may listen to the meeting via a call-in option (write for more details).
The agenda follows:
Introductions
James Love, KEI
Presentation of the US objectives for intellectual property in the TTIP
George York, Deputy Assistant USTR for Intellectual Property and Innovation Office of the United States Trade Representative, Executive Office of the President. George will be accompanied by Stanford McCoy, the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Intellectual Property and Innovation, and a USTR Representative from USTR’s Europe office.
JoEllen Urban, Trade Advisor for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Office of Policy and External Affairs.
NGO Views
After the presentations by USTR and USPTO, there will be several short comments by NGOs, followed by a general discussion.
- Paul Alan Levy, Public Citizen Litigation Group
- Jonathan Band, Policy Bandwidth
- Peter Maybarduk, Public Citizen
- Jaydee Hanson, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Food Safety
- Rashmi Rangnath, and Sherwin Siy, Public Knowledge
- Krista Cox, KEI
General discussion
Background on TACD
The Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) is a forum of US and EU consumer organisations which develops and agrees on joint consumer policy recommendations to the US government and European Union to promote the consumer interest in EU and US policy making. It is in the context of the New Transatlantic Agenda (NTA; launched in 1995) and in particular of the New Economic Partnership (launched in 1998), that the TACD, along with several other transatlantic dialogues, was born. In launching the NTA and the TEP, the governments of the EU and US had for the first time pledged their support to an increased involvement of civil society in transatlantic policy-making. The TACD was launched in September 1998, at the end of the inaugural meeting which took place in Washington and gathered more than 60 consumer representatives from the US and the EU.
TACD members participate in its work through five Policy Committee’s: Food, Intellectual Property, Information Society, Financial Services and Nanotechnology. Participation in TACD is open to all EU or US consumer organisations working on a national and/or international level, and are independent of business and political interest. So far, a total of 50 EU and 27 US consumer organisations have joined the TACD and participate mainly through membership of the Policy Committees. TACD also has three observer members, two from Canada and one from Australia.
On March 5, 2013, TACD sent a letter to Ambassador Ron Kirk of the Office of the United States Trade Representative and Commissioner Karel De Gucht, DG Trade for the European Commission, to provide EU and US consumer groups’ initial reaction to the announcement of a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The section of the letter dealing with intellectual property rights said:
Intellectual Property Rights: Provisions on intellectual property (IP) rights should ensure governments may enact robust limitations and exceptions to rights, and limitations on remedies. IP enforcement should be proportionate and respect the right to a judicial remedy. In some areas, mandatory minimum exceptions should be addressed, such as robust cross-border exceptions for disabilities or distance education. Access to medical technologies and knowledge should not be undermined.