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The US is resisting efforts at world trade talks to expand protections for geographical food names, such as Parma ham. It is also objecting to attempts to require patent seekers to disclose the source of genetic resources or traditional knowledge used to make drugs.
About 100 members of the WTO -- including the European Union and India -- are pushing for progress on the TRIPS (trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights) issues at a high-stakes meeting to bring the long-running Doha Round to a close this year.
"These TRIPS issues are important to many members, but we think it's vital to keep the focus of this meeting on agriculture, (manufactured goods), services," said Gretchen Hamel, a spokeswoman for US Trade Representative Susan Schwab. "This meeting is not the time to create new mandates on the TRIPS issues."
The US is participating in Doha Round talks to create an international register for wine and alcohol names drawn from areas where they originated, such as the Champagne region in France.
But, with other nations such as Australia and Argentina, it sees the register as simply a database, and rejects EU proposals to give mandatory protection to entries on the register as cumbersome and impractical. And it opposes extending the register beyond wines and spirits.
"There is no mandate in Doha for GI (geographical indications) extension. We do not think that is a good idea and we are not currently engaged on that subject, nor do we intend to be," Schwab said in Geneva on July 22.
Meanwhile, many developing countries want to make sure they get a fair share of the benefits from drugs derived from their stock of genetic resources or traditional knowledge.
A group including Brazil, India and other countries want to amend the WTO TRIPS agreement to require patent applicants to disclose the country of origin of genetic resources such as wild plants and traditional knowledge used in inventions and also show evidence they received "prior informed consent" before using the materials.
A third plank would require the patent holders to show evidence of a "fair and equitable" benefit sharing plan.
The National Foreign Trade Council, a US business group whose members include leading drug manufacturer Pfizer and top food and beverage company Pepsi, urged Schwab and EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson in letters not to overload this week's meeting.
But India's Commerce Secretary Gopal Pillai said it was impossible to ignore demands made by more than 100 WTO members. "The political importance of these issues for the membership is to be recognised and it is essential that ministers provide clear instructions for intensive negotiations on the three issues as a part of the single undertaking" for completing the Round, he said. (Source: Trade Observatory)
July 23, 2008
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