Seminar on Proposed ACTA and TRIPS: Issues and Implications at FICCI concluded on 28th May 2010 at heated house of discussion. Distinguished panel of speakers included:
Ms Leena Menghaney: Campaign co-coordinator (India), Medicines Sans Frontiers Campaign for access to essential medicines
Dr. Mira Shiva: Director, Initiative for Healthy Equity and Society
Mr. Raghu Cidambi: Advisor –IPR & Regulatory Matters, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance
The Presentation was given by Mr. T C James Consultant at FICCI.
The seminar was organized in the wake of the European Union’s (EU) recently released consolidated draft text of the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
It is planned trade agreement for setting up international standards on intellectual property rights enforcement all through the participating nations. The ACTA has a wide scope, including counterfeit goods, generic medicines, as well as ‘piracy over the Internet.
The reason behind setting up ACTA has been a topic of debate sometime, because ACTA is global treaty, an example of policy laundering used to establish and implement legal changes. Policy laundering allows legal provisions, usually administered through public legislation and subject to judiciary oversight, to be pushed through via closed negotiations among members of the executive bodies of the signatories. Once confirmed, it become mandatory for the companies belonging to non-members to follow the ACTA requirements as they will fall out of the safe harbour protections.
The seminar represented pharmaceutical and biotechnology scientists and practitioners from the whole world to interact, network and swap ideas and bring themselves and their organizations to the forefront of the regulation.
