The nature of FTAs, their role in the global economy and proposed USMalaysia FTA

1
The nature of FTAs, their role in the global
economy and proposed US-Malaysia FTA

• Sanya Reid Smith
• Third World Network
• 6 August 2008

2
How TRIPS provisions can occur

• Bilateral pressure, eg USAs Special 301
• Bilateral/regional trade agreements (FTAs) with
  developed countries, eg
• European Union with 120 developing countries
  including Andean Community, Central America,
  ACP, ASEAN, India, Mercosur?
• EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway,
  Switzerland) (check http//www.efta.int/content/f
  ree-trade/fta-map)
• USA eg CAFTA, NAFTA, Peru etc (check
  http//www.ustr.gov)
• Japan eg with ASEAN countries individually
  (check http//www.mofa.go.jp/policy/economy/fta/i
  ndex.html)

3
Countries EU is negotiating FTAs with
4
Countries EU is negotiating FTAs with - continued
5
Countries EU is negotiating FTAs with - continued
6
How TRIPS provisions can occur continued

• Joining the World Trade Organization 29
  countries currently in negotiation (check
  http//www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e
  /org6_e.htm)
• Regional patent offices (eg West Africa)
• Bilateral investment treaties (BITs) check
  http//www.unctadxi.org/templates/DocSearch____779
  .aspx

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Bilateral investment treaties

• BITs/the investment chapter of FTAs may lead to
  infinite data exclusivity and/or an effective
  prohibition on compulsory licensing if they have
• A broad definition of investment that includes
• intellectual property such as patents or the data
  used to give marketing approval to a medicine
  explicitly and/or
• A catch-all any tangible/intangible,
  moveable/immoveable property and related property
  right
• And an expropriation provision without exceptions
• (or with only a GATT Art XX exception)
• And investor-state dispute settlement
• Government-government dispute settlement

8
What can PLHIV do?

• Experience of Thai PLHIV
• Experience of Malaysian PLHIV
• Some tools
• Our Health, Our Right, (explanation of TRIPS
  safeguards, TRIPS and the opposition of PLHIV in
  India and Thailand to TRIPS provisions),
  http//www.apnplus.org/webpage/Publications.html
• www.bilaterals.org (news reports of FTA
  negotiations)

9
Thai-USFTA protests re medicines
Malaysia-USFTA protests re medicines
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Thank you

• For more information and questions
  sanya_at_myjaring.net