Round table: Development and Intellectual Property under the EU-Ukraine Negotiations: International Experience and View of Civil Society

The meeting took place on March 4, 2008 organised by the International Renaissance Foundation, Information Program of Open Society Institute and Public Health Program of Open Society Institute, Scientific Library of the National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Association "Informatio - Consortium" and eIFL.net.

Sisule F. Musungu, IQSensato, discussed Development and Intellectual Property under the Negotiations with the EU: challenges for sustainable development in the innovation policy of other countries, especially in areas such as Access to Knowledge and Public Health. Debabrata Saha, Ambassador of India to Ukraine, presented his expert views on the Intellectual Property Rights and the Development Dimension. Luis Villarroel Villalon, Advisor on Intellectual Property, Ministry of Education, Chile, talked about Development and Intellectual Property under the Negotiations with the EU: Copyright and Access to Knowledge and   Larisa Konovalova, Open Public Health Institute, discussed Prices, Purchasing, Accessibility and Quality of Drugs in Ukraine.

The past two years have seen the proliferation of regional and bilateral free trade agreements containing higher intellectual property standards than those established by the TRIPS Agreement. Initial public statements by the EU suggested that there would be no significant push by the EU to seek standards beyond those established by TRIPS. And the inclusion of TRIPS-plus intellectual property provisions in bilateral agreements between the European Union and other countries has become an issue of increasing concern. These standards pose serious problems for sustainable development in the innovation policy of other countries, especially in areas such as Access to Knowledge, Public Health, Food Security and Biodiversity. The objectives of the multi-stakeholder round table were the following:
• To discuss the necessity, and consequences, of concluding negotiations on intellectual property in the Ukraine Negotiations with the EU.
• To discuss the potential impact of proposed intellectual property standards on the development of Ukraine.
• To build capacity and networks by bringing together Ukrainian civil society and Ukrainian negotiators to discuss intellectual property issues and challenges raised in negotiating intellectual property standards in the Ukraine Negotiations with the EU. The role that civil society organizations can play – and libraries are important stakeholders – bringing to the attention of national governments and parliaments, the negative consequences that premature IP negotiations would have on development objectives.