Comments of KEI, regarding USTR Request For Comments From The Public On The Creation Of The Public Interest Trade Advisory Committee And Request For Nominees To That Committee.
Submitted to Regulations.gov on March 25, 2014, under docket number USTR-2014-0005.
Intellectual property issues are an important element of US trade agreements, and according to a recent study by Open Secrets, the most intensively lobbied issue, by far.
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Protection for geographical indications is an issue that divides the generally united front that Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Switzerland, New Zealand and the United States maintain at WIPO and WTO negotiations on setting rules for the enforcement of patents, copyright, trademarks and industrial designs. In a 12 March 2014 piece, Europe wants its Parmesan back, seeks name change, the Associated Press reported that,
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Manon Ress, Knowledge Ecology International, Comments on the IIPA oral and written submission to 2014 Special 301
March 7, 2014
Docket ID: USTR-2013-0040
In 2014, the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) submission for the Special 301 failed to propose constructive policies by the USTR regarding copyright, as regards to access to knowledge and copyright related issues, in the context of education or research.
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Here is the REVISED agenda for the Special 301 hearing on February 24. Public Citizen has been added to the list of witnesses, and USTR now lists the names of the speakers for the various trade associations. Unlike recent years, the level of participation by major trade organizations is significant.
SPECIAL 301 PUBLIC HEARING
February 24, 2014 – 10:00 a.m.
Office of the United States Trade Representative
1724 F Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20508
The Special 301 Hearing is open to the public. Members of the press are welcome to attend.
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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s (Global Intellectual Property Center) submission (7 February 2014, USTR-2013-0040) to USTR’s 2014 Special 301 expressed concerns with aspects of Brazilian IP policy which included the role of ANVISA in the granting of patents, patentability criteria, test data protection, compulsory licensing and local content requirements for cable television.
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Brian Arthur Pomper is a partner at the law firm of Akin Gump.
Mr. Pomper formerly served as chief international trade counsel to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT). In that role, he was responsible for advising Chairman Baucus and other members of the Senate Finance Committee on all aspects of the Committee’s international trade and economic agenda.
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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s (Global Intellectual Property Center) submission (7 February 2014, USTR-2013-0040) to USTR’s 2014 Special 301 expressed the following concerns with South Africa’s draft National Policy on Intellectual Property. The Chamber’s concerns include proposed changes in patentability guidelines and the possible introduction of a robust compulsory licensing framework. The Chamber requested USTR to push South Africa to adopt a “modern term of protection for copyright” (life plus 70).
South Africa
Patents
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The Alliance for Fair Trade with India (AFTI) was created in June 2013, to lobby for “increased action to address the erosion of intellectual property rights (“IPR”) in India.” According to the group, it is “comprised of organizations representing a range of U.S. industries adversely impacted by India’s troubling and frequently discriminatory policies, including manufacturing, agriculture, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and beyond.”
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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s (Global Intellectual Property Center) submission (7 February 2014, USTR-2013-0040) to USTR’s 2014 Special 301 Review requests USTR classify India as a Priority Foreign Country specifically citing concerns over compulsory licensing. The submission noted that India… Continue Reading →
The National Association of Manufacturers’s (NAM) submission (7 February 2014, USTR-2013-0040) to USTR’s 2014 Special 301 Review requests that USTR designate India as a Priority Foreign Country citing concerns with India’s actions in multilateral fora including the UNFCCC, WTO and… Continue Reading →
