Every year USTR issues a list of countries targeted to be subjected to trade pressures over their policies on intellectual property rights. This year’s list was published on April 30, 2015. KEI has a copy of every version of the Special 301 list here: https://www.keionline.org/ustr/special301
USTR describes the list as follows:
The Special 301 Process
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Yesterday, Politico published this story:
Leaked digital single market’s ‘evidence file’ reveals Commission’s ambitions. Documents show policy came before evidence for cybersecurity measures.
By ZOYA SHEFTALOVICH 20/4/15, 1:29 PM CET Updated 21/4/15, 11:33 AM CET
(http://www.politico.eu/article/leaked-digital-single-market-strategy-evidence/)
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The California Assembly Health Committee has published an analysis of AB463, the Pharmaceutical Cost Transparency Act of 2015. The bill will be marked up by the committee on Tuesday (April 21). The analysis was written by Dharia McGrew. It recommends three amendments to the bill, and provides a discussion of the benefits of the required disclosures, with context, and describes the support and opposition. The staff report is attached, and below is a list of 33 groups supporting and 22 opposing the bill. Continue Reading
This is a bill that will see legislative action next week in California, and the bill has some momentum. This is the first time I have seen any government make an effort to have useful data on the economics drug drug development and pricing, and it provides a model that other governments may want to built upon.
A mark-up on the bill has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, 2015, in the Assembly Health Committee.
BILL NUMBER: AB 463
INTRODUCED BILL TEXTINTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Chiu
FEBRUARY 23, 2015
This from the Wikileaks Sony Archive:
An email from Keith Weaver, the “Executive Vice President, Worldwide Government Affairs at Sony Pictures Entertainment, provide an illustration the practical art of doing “Government Affairs,” meeting “goals” for fundraisers, trying to avoid making “personal” contributions, and wondering if the donations were to much focused on another company’s purchase of policy” “smells a little bit like a Disney play regarding corp. tax reform”.
Jamie
From: Weaver, Keith
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2014 5:23 PM
To: Weil, Leah
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Twenty groups, including KEI, have written Congress, asking the Congress to provide public access to draft trade agreement texts and U.S. proposals throughout negotiations, and to specific that only agreements developed through such processes should obtain any expedited congressional consideration.
Among other things, the groups said:
St Jude holds 24 patents with influenza in the specification, that also disclose US government rights. Some of these were discussed here: /node/2188
PAT. NO. Title
1 8,574,592 Modified influenza virus for monitoring and improving vaccine efficiency
2 8,551,481 Anti-cancer vaccine composition comprising an anti-CD223 antibody and kit comprising an anti-cancer vaccine and an anti-CD223 antibody
3 8,309,099 DNA transfection system for the generation of negative strand RNA virus
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Our 2009 FOIA request, and 42 pages of CDC emails debating what to give us.
/misc-docs/FOIA/14-01041-cdc-foia-frequest-2009.pdf
The February 17, 2015 cover letter from CDC.
/wp-content/uploads/CDC_17feb2015_FOIA_CoverLetter.pdf
The 184 page CDC foia response, which we received in February 2015. Note that we were particularly interested in the patent issues related to reverse genetics.
At the February 24, 2015 USTR hearing on Special 301, KEI asked to provide supplemental comments on R&D for the record, and KEI was separately asked by USTR to provide comments on online pharmacies, and by DHHS to comment on the relationship between emergencies and compulsory licensing. (The KEI page on Special 301 is here: /ustr/special301).