Intellectual Property/TRIPS

Global Civil Society letter on the Nairobi Ministerial of the World Trade Organization (WTO), December 9, 2015

9 December, 2015
As members of 453 civil society organizations including trade unions, environmentalists, farmers, development advocates, and public interest groups from over 150 countries, we are writing today to express extreme alarm about the current situation of the negotiations in the WTO. We urge you to take seriously the need for the upcoming Nairobi Ministerial to change existing WTO rules to make the global trading system more compatible with people-centered development, and to forestall efforts by some developed countries to abandon the development agenda and replace it with a set of so-called “new issues” that actually are non-trade issues that would impact deeply on domestic economies and constrain national policy space required for development and public interest.

Unconditional 17-year exemption from pharmaceuticals patents agreed

3 November, 2015
The United States and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) at the World Trade Organization have reached agreement ad referendum on a pharmaceutical patent exemption for a duration of 17 years, according to trade diplomats. With this exemption, the world’s poorest nations will not be obliged “to implement or apply” or “to enforce” patents as well as test data protection for pharmaceutical products until 1 January 2033.

Away from the Glare, a Push for More Stringent IPR Protection at the WTO

2 November, 2015
The United States and Switzerland want the right to file complaints for loss of trade ‘benefits’ even against countries whose intellectual property rights laws are fully consistent with international agreements

“Unconscionable and indefensible” – U.S. 10-year offer to LDCs for pharmaceutical patent waiver

21 October, 2015
The United States’ offer to least developed countries of a 10-year transition period to grant pharmaceutical patents is “unconscionable and indefensible”, according to six influential US non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In a letter dated 19 October to President Barack Obama, the NGOs conveyed this strong criticism in view of the public health and other developmental challenges facing least developed countries (LDCs).

Letter from Civil Society Regarding Future Agenda of the WTO Negotiations

8 July, 2015
341 organizations of civil society from over 100 countries of the global North and South, as consumer groups, environmentalists, trade unions, farmers, and other development advocates, have sent a letter to WTO members regarding the wrong direction of the current WTO talks, and urged the governments to substantially turnaround the negotiations in advance of the December Ministerial in Nairobi.

Strong support for LDC pharmaceuticals exemption request

17 June, 2015
A large majority of Members, mainly developing countries, have voiced strong support at the meeting of the TRIPS Council (9-10 June) for the request by the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) for an extension of the transitional period with regard to the intellectual property protection of pharmaceutical products, which is set to expire on 1 January 2016.

Letter to WTO Members Seeking Extension of TRIPS Transitional Period on Pharmaceutical Produtcs for LDCs

5 June, 2015
Civil Society Letter to Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO): Request by least developed country members for an extension of the transitional period with respect to pharmaceutical products and for waivers from the obligation of articles 70.8 and 70.9 of the trips agreement

Global Civil Society Letter to Roberto Azevêdo on Yemen’s Accession Commitments on IP

28 November, 2013
In this letter to Mr. Roberto Azevêdo, Director General, WTO, 162 organizations expressed concerns regarding intellectual property commitments being forced on Yemen as part of its WTO accession package that will be presented for formal adoption, to the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali, 3-6 December 2013.

What's Going on at the WTO? : Opportunities and Risks Before the 9th Ministerial Meeting

18 November, 2013
In this critical blog Deborah James, Director, International Programs at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, writes on some of the key messages from the Global civil society, trade unions and people's movements on What's Going on at the WTO? Opportunities and Risks Before the 9th Ministerial Meeting.

NGOs Condemn the EU Press Release on TRIPS Extension for LDCs

21 June, 2013
On 11th June 2013, the WTO TRIPS Council took a decision (IP/C/64) to extend for a further 8 years, the flexibility of least developed country (LDC) Members under Article 66.1 to not apply the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement except for Articles 3, 4 and 5 (which concern national treatment and most-favored nation treatment). This decision was a compromise deal as the EU and US exerted intense pressure on the LDCs to accept conditionalities that are not in favour of the people in the LDCs.

LDCs get eight more years of exemption from WTO - TRIPS rules

11 June, 2013
Today (11 June 2013) the WTO-Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rules (TRIPS) Council adopted a decision granting Least Developed Countries (LDCs) an eight-year extension of the transition period, (deferring the time within which LDCs to implement the TRIPS Agreement), without the pernicious mandatory “no roll-back” clause (contained in the previous extension decision) which developed countries pushed hard to include.

LDC Watch and OWINFS Call on the WTO TRIPS Council Chair to Stop the Ongoing Unfair Informal Negotiations on the LDC TRIPS Waiver Extension

21 May, 2013
LDC Watch and Our World Is Not For Sale Call on the WTO TRIPS Council Chair to Stop the Ongoing Unfair Informal Negotiations on the LDC TRIPS Waiver Extension

Pronunciamiento de la ASC ante la nueva cumbre ministerial de la OMC

30 November, 2009

Entre el 30 de noviembre y el 2 de diciembre de 2009 se realizará en Ginebra la VII reunión ministerial de la OMC. Será un nuevo esfuerzo de reanudar las negociaciones de la Ronda de Doha, iniciada hace 8 años, y un escenario donde los países desarrollados nuevamente intentarán imponer su propia agenda de liberalización y desregulación de los mercados.

U.S. Civil Society Platform on Trade-Related IP and Access to Medicines Issues

8 June, 2009
The following represents four key goals that our organizations agree should guide US trade policy and practice with regard to intellectual property (IP) and health matters.

TRIPS and FTAs have adverse impact on access to drugs

4 June, 2009

TRIPS and FTAs have adverse impact on access to drugs

Geneva, 3 Jun (Kanaga Raja) -- The WTO TRIPS Agreement and the TRIPS-plus
provisions in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) have had an adverse impact on
prices and availability of medicines, making it difficult for countries to
comply with their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the right to
health, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Mr Anand Grover,
said on Tuesday.

Chamber Fears Climate Talks Could Set the Stage for TRIPS Changes

15 May, 2009
Global climate change negotiations could become the battleground to hammer out a second clarification of intellectual property protection rules in the World Trade Organization to strengthen developing countries rights to use patented technology without authorization of rights holders, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Indonesia to share bird-flu samples only if there is new system

22 February, 2007
The Indonesian Health Minister, Siti Fadilah Supari, has maintained that Indonesia will continue withholding its bird flu virus samples from foreign laboratories until there is a new global mechanism for virus sharing that has better terms for developing countries.

Indonesia's move on bird flu samples highlights key access issues

22 February, 2007
The reluctance of Indonesia to freely provide bird flu samples to the World Health Organisation because of the fear that commercial companies would obtain them to develop patented products is understandable, since samples of other viruses given to WHO have previously been used by corporations to obtain patents

TRIPS/CBD, enforcement dominate talks at TRIPS Council

20 February, 2007
The relationship between the TRIPS Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity and the issue of enforcement of TRIPS provisions dominated the discussions at a meeting of the TRIPS Council on Tuesday 13 February.

WHO DG regrets her reported remarks on Thai compulsory licenses

14 February, 2007
The Director General of the World Health Organisation, Dr. Margaret Chan, has sent a letter to Thailand's Health Minister expressing regret for the embarrassment caused to his government by remarks she was reported to have made in Bangkok that were critical of the compulsory licenses granted by the government for three medicines.