World Trade Organization (WTO)

See the following -

An Overview Of The "Patent Trolls" Debate

Brian T. Yeh | Congressional Research Service | August 20, 2012

Congress has recently demonstrated significant ongoing interest in litigation by “patent assertion entities” (PAEs), which are colloquially known as “patent trolls” and sometimes referred to as “non-practicing entities” (NPEs)... Read More »

Civil Society Urges World Trade Organization To Give The Poorest Countries In The World More Time To Implement International Intellectual Property Agreement

Carolina Rossini | Electronic Frontier Foundation | October 23, 2012

The relentless expansion of intellectual property from the developed world to the developing world is rooted in a key international agreement: it’s called the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (colloquially, “TRIPS”), and it was enacted in 1994 by the World Trade Organization (WTO). [...] Read More »

Members Of Congress: India's Pharma Industry 'Protectionism' Is Harming US Pharma Industry's Abuse Of Patent System

Tim Cushing | Techdirt | July 2, 2013

We recently discussed the US Chamber of Commerce's incredibly strange statement on the state of India's IP protection (or lack thereof). The CofC first applauded the success of India's Bollywood industry, achieved without strong IP protection, before insisting the only way it would survive was by implementing strong IP protection. Read More »

Merck To Bristol-Myers Face Threats On India Patents (Correct)

Ketaki Gokhale | Bloomberg Businessweek | January 28, 2014

Pharmaceutical companies from Merck & Co. (MRK:US) to Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY:US) face fresh threats to protecting their patents in India as a government-appointed panel prepares to evaluate more drugs for local makers to copy.  The panel is looking beyond the cancer treatments it studied last year to areas such as HIV and diabetes, according to two people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.

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New amfAR Report Warns of Trade Agreement’s Potentially Damaging Effects on Global Public Health

Press Release | amfAR | May 8, 2015

The proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a free trade agreement currently being negotiated among 12 Pacific Rim countries, threatens the future availability of affordable generic medicines and could undermine the global HIV response in developing countries, according to a new report released today by amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. By expanding intellectual property (IP) protections for existing pharmaceutical products beyond what is required by current international standards, the report warns, the TPP could greatly delay the entrance of generic medicines into the marketplace and keep drug prices high for those who can least afford them.

New Superbug Resistant To All Antibiotics Now Found Worldwide

Judy Stone | Forbes | December 19, 2015

Last week, I shared scary news of a new gene called mcr-1 conferring resistance to our last-ditch antibiotic, colistin. The gene was found in China with spread to the Netherlands. I raised concerns, too, about imports of some foods from China. Several new reports in the Lancet Infectious Diseases suggest the spread of this newly found resistance gene, mcr-1, is far worse than it initially appeared. Here are the latest findings from several just-released studies...

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The Escalating US-China Spying War Is McKinsey’s Loss And Huawei’s Gain

Heather Timmons | Quartz | May 26, 2014

US consultants may be the next victim of the US and China’s escalating battle over cyber-spying. Chinese officials have asked state-owned enterprises to stop employing US consulting companies, the Financial Times reported (paywall), because of fears they are reporting company secrets to the US government...

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TPP Treaty Could be a Serious Threat to US Public Health System

While trade agreements may seem to be another, albeit international species of wonkery, these agreements could have major effects on patients' and the public's health.  Since these concerns have been essentially ignored by the US medical and health care literature, (although they have appeared in UK journals, Australian, and New Zealand journals in English), they I will discuss them below. Worthy of further discussion is the possibility that these potential threats to health care and public health may arise not just from ideological disagreements, but also from health care corporations' increasing capture of government, facilitated by the conflicts of interest generated by the revolving door. Read More »

Trading Knowledge As A Public Good: A Proposal For The WTO

Rachel Marusak Hermann | Intellectual Property Watch | October 14, 2011

Years of deadlock in the Doha Round of trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) has prompted some to question the institution’s effectiveness, and even, its relevance. But for others, the stalemate seems to be favourable for new ideas and new ways to think about global trade. Read More »