Poorest nations win intellectual property waiver
The world’s poorest nations have won an eight-year extension of a waiver on intellectual property rules at a session of the World Trade Organisation’s TRIPS Council. A session of the 159-nation WTO’s TRIPS (trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights) Council has ruled the waiver for 34 countries can now run until July 1, 2021. “The agreement reached by members makes very clear that we can come together and get things done,” WTO chief Pascal Lamy told the council. The waiver applies to the countries on the United Nations list of least-developed countries, which is recognised by the WTO, and includes Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Nepal, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu. … Critics said the rules would be tough to bring in and police in the world’s poorest nations, whose failure to fall into line could shut them out of trade sectors and hamper their development. …
