USTR

2011: Judge rejects USTR claim that negotiating position in FTAA investment chapter is exempt from FOIA

Posted on by Krista Cox

In a somewhat unexpected and encouraging ruling, on April 12, 2011, the District Court for the District of Columbia rejected USTR claims that the release of certain documents relating to a trade negotiations can be shielded from the FOIA.

The case involves a FOIA dispute between the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) over documents revealing the US negotiating position on the Investment Chapter in the proposed Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA).

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KEI comments on U.S.T.R. 2010 Special 301

Posted on by James Love

KEI is one of several public health groups working with Sean Flynn on filing comments in the current U.S.T.R. request for comments on the Special 301 process (Federal Register Notice USTR-2010-0003-0129). In addition, KEI filed these comments:

KEI comments on Special 301

18 February 2010

KEI provides the following comments regarding the 2010 Special 301 Review, including but not limited to the Identification of Countries Under Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974.

Our comments include the following points:

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Views of Civil Society on USTR Review of Trade-Related Transparency Policies

Posted on by Malini Aisola

As mentioned in an earlier KEI blog, on Thursday, March 19, a group of public interest groups met with the Obama administration’s trade officials. As a result of this meeting, USTR has promised to review its policies on transparency and invited groups to submit concrete proposals for evaluation. Further, these proposals are to be discussed as part of the review process in a follow up meeting next month.

Proposed areas of discussion include:

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CPTech Response to 2006 PhRMA “Special 301” Submission for Chile

Posted on by Judit Rius

March 2006

CPTech Response to 2006 PhRMA “Special 301” Submission for Chile

The “Special 301” Report is a report that the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) submits annually to the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee on the adequacy and effectiveness of intellectual property rights protection around the world. The report identifies those countries that the USTR consider “deny adequate and effective protection for IPR or deny fair and equitable market access for U.S. persons that rely on intellectual property protection”.

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CPTech Letter to USTR Portman Regarding US Position on WTO Opt-Out of Compulsory Licensing Mechanism

Posted on by KEI Staff

Original page: http://www.cptech.org/ip/birdflu/ustr-birdflu.html 14 October 2005 Honorable Rob Portman United States Trade Representative 600 17th Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20508 Dear Ambassador Portman: We are writing to ask that the United States government address a mistake in trade policy that… Continue Reading →