The latest press release from Congressman Don Manzullo:
Manzullo: US Must Strengthen IP Provisions in
TPP Trade Talks to Help Create American Jobs
[WASHINGTON] Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) today urged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others in the Obama Administration to demand strong intellectual property protections in the multilateral trade agreement the United States is negotiating with several Asia-Pacific nations.
U.S. Rep. Donald Manzullo, Attorney General Fepuleai A. Ripely - the acting governor, and Congressman Faleomavaega Eni on Friday, Feb. 25th, at the Governor. Photo used by permission of Samoa News. Photo credit: Fili Sagapolutele.
Manzullo, who led a Congressional delegation to New Zealand and Australia last week to help negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) fair trade agreement, shared his concerns today with Secretary Clinton, who was testifying before a House Foreign Affairs Committee about State Department priorities this morning.
During talks last week, Manzullo and his colleagues expressed serious concerns with proposals by some negotiating partners to eliminate the patentability of software and weaken trademark protection for certain products, as well as the absence of robust investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms to protect American investors.
Secretary Clinton told Manzullo today that she shared his concerns and would work with him to ensure these topics are addressed in future negotiations. Click here to see a video of the exchange between Clinton and Manzullo, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
“I call on the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to uphold the core values that make America the most innovative and entrepreneurial country in the world. Protection of intellectual property rights is a fundamental requirement for any trade negotiation.”
“The TPP must be a high quality agreement that protects American interests and creates jobs. Any agreement that is sent to Congress that does not fulfill these basic requirements will not be met favorably.”
The TPP is a nine country trade agreement that seeks to eliminate tariffs, boost exports, and reduce barriers to international business. The TPP is comprised of Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Chile, Brunei, Peru, and the United States. President Obama is expected to finalize negotiations with the other TPP countries by the end of 2011 before sending the agreement to Congress for ratification.