CIEL, American University Washington College of Law, and other partners organize workshop on "Intellectual Property, Free Trade Agreements, and Sustainable Development"

February 28, 2006

On 27-28 February 2006, a workshop on IP, FTAs, and Sustainable Development took place at American University in Washington DC. The workshop was co-organized by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Third World Network, Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental, and Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa. Participants included stakeholders and negotiators from various developing countries, as well as experts and stakeholders from the United States.

The objective of the workshop was to promote a more balanced and sustainable development-oriented bilateral intellectual property negotiations. In particular, the workshop aimed to provide a forum for negotiators and stakeholders from developing countries to meet U.S. stakeholders with similar or complementary positions to exchange experiences and information on the challenges of negotiating and implementing intellectual property provisions of bilateral trade agreements. Topics included:

i) setting intellectual property provisions in the context of the opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in bilateral trade agreements;
ii) identifying U.S. intellectual property legislation, policies and decision-making processes relevant for efforts to negotiate and implement bilateral trade agreements from a sustainable development perspective;
iii) enhancing a South-South exchange of experiences on the negotiation and implementation of intellectual property provisions; and
iv) developing strategies to counter or avert rising bilateral levels of intellectual property provisions.

In addition, a number of follow up activities were conducted by partner organizations, including CPTech and Oxfam America. These activities included briefings at the US Senate and House of Representatives, press interviews and conferences, and meetings with key opinion makers.

For more information, please contact Dalindyebo Shabalala.

The agenda for the workshop is available here.

Presentations, listed by author (in PDF format):

• Barbosa: TRIPs art.7 and 8, FTAs and Trademarks
• Chon: Development rhetoric and development potential of FTAs*
• Guillermo: Propiedad intelectual y desarrollo sostenible en las negociaciones de TLC recientes de Estados Unidos
• Haight: Trademark Issues in Current Negotiations
• Hinze: How Can Policy Choices Affect FTA Negotiations and Implementation?
• Jorge: IP and FTAs: Significant Issues in Current Negotations and their Relation to US IP Laws
• Love: New Paradigm: R&D Treay
• Manduara: Negotiating IP in FTAs: Preserving and Enhancing Flexibilities
• Oliva: Intellectual Property and Bilateral Agreements: Moving towards effictive participation
• Ruiz: Inclusion of national interests in FTA: The US - Peru FTA in the area of biodiversity, IP and TK
• Sarnoff: Patent Law Issues in Recent FTAs
• Sboul: Intellectual Proprty, Free Trade Agreements and Sustainable Development
• Smith: Including developing country interest in FTAs: biodiversity
• Velasquez: ASINFARGUA: Intellectual Property Impact

  *As this presentation is over 2mb in size, it is available on request.