KEI is one of the non-government entities speaking at the USTR Special 301 hearing on Tuesday. We each get 7 minutes of testimony and 3 minutes of questions. (The schedule is here).
The industry voices are mostly those representing publishers and drug companies, plus footwear. Of the 3 governments testifying this year, two are members of the European Union (Bulgaria and the Czech Republic) and one is Ukraine, which probably will do anything to make the U.S. happy these days. CCIA and the Internet Association will represent several companies in the technology sector. Sean Flynn from American University will testify. The NGOs testifying will include KEI, Public Citizen, UACT. It appears as though drug companies will be focusing on India a fair amount.
These hearings are for the record. PhRMA certainly gets a lot more than 7 minutes of air time behind closed doors, and so does everyone else. The document for greater context and copies of the written submissions is here.
SPECIAL 301 PUBLIC HEARING
March 1, 2016 – 10:00am
Office of the United States Trade Representative
1724 F Street, NW Rooms 1 and 2
Washington, DC 20508The Special 301 Hearing is open to the public. All participants and attendees will be requested to present a government-issued photo ID to enter the hearing room. Please allow 20 minutes for security processing. Members of the press are welcome to attend.
Format: Each party will appear for a maximum of ten (10) minutes. Parties are allotted a maximum of seven (7) minutes for prepared statements. Three (3) minutes are reserved for questions presented by the Special 301 Committee.
HEARING SCHEDULE
10:00-10:00 – Opening Remarks – Office of the United States Representative
Government
10:10-10:20 – Government of Bulgaria
10:20-10:30 – Government of the Czech Republic
10:30-10:40 – Government of Ukraine
10:40-10:50 – Government of EgyptNon-government
11:00-11:10 – American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA)
11:10-11:20 – Alliance for Fair Trade with India (AFTI)
11:20-11:30 – Business Software Alliance (BSA)
11:30-11:40 – Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA)
11:40-11:50 – Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA)
11:50-11:50 – Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO)
12:00-12:10 – International Intellectual Property Association (IIPA)12:10 – 12:23 Break
12:30-12:40 – Internet Association
12:40-12:50 – Knowledge Ecology International
12:50-1:00 – Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
10:00-1:10 – Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property (PIJIP)
1:10-1:20 – Public Citizen
1:20-1:30 – Trademark Working Group
1:30-1:40 – U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center
1:40-1:50 – U.S. India Business Council
1:50-2:00 – Union for Affordable Cancer Treatment
2:00-2:10 – Closing Remarks – Office of the United States Trade RepresentativePOST-HEARING COMMENTS
Persons who testify at the hearing may submit supplemental information, including written responses to hearing questions, to be considered by the Special 301 Committee. To receive full consideration, please submit optional supplemental information electronically by midnight on March 4, 2016, via http://www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR-2015-0022. Please identify the filing by including the following in the “Type Comment” field: “2016 Special 301 Review – Post-Hearing Submission” and attach your information as instructed in the Federal Register Notice filing instructions.