BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

Business, Government and the global economy

Business, Government and the global economy

Introduction

Patents, trademarks, copyright, industrial designs and other similar rights are designated under the term "intellectual property". These rights are "property" in that they are based on the right granted by law to exclude others from their use and ownership of these rights can be transferred. These rights are "intellectuals" because they protect intangible subjects usually from human creativity. Patents protect inventions such as machines, tools, methods and composition of materials. Trademarks protect words, designs, numbers, or three-dimensional shapes, sounds or colors (or a combination of two or more of these) used by a trader to distinguish its products or services from those of its competitors. Copyright protects literary works (including computer programs), artistic, musical and dramatic. Other rights include trade secrets, industrial designs, topographies of integrated circuits, plant variety rights and the rights associated with personality as the right to the image.

For some, the intellectual property rights are the most important economic problem in U.S. relations with Canada. In this context, Washington continues to believe that Canada should make improvements in two areas: the border regime for the implementation of intellectual property rights and legislation on copyright with respect to the ratification and implementation Internet-related treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization, which Canada signed in 1997. In April of each year, the U.S. government publishes Special Report 301 of the Trade Representative, which lists the countries where he believes the protection of intellectual property is weak. This year, Canada has moved to the priority watch list (Priority Watch List), which is the second of three levels of monitoring.

Canada believes that the issue of protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights is taken seriously and remains committed to working with partners to combat counterfeiting and piracy in the international level, including the use of the G8, the negotiations Trade Agreement on counterfeiting, APEC, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Partnership for security and prosperity. Additionally, Canada believes that the current system of protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights are consistent with its international obligations under the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Trade the North American Free Trade Agreement and a number of conventions concluded within the framework of WIPO.

Discussion

A U.S. delegate began the discussion by noting that Canada's interest to enact legislation on intellectual property in order to protect him. He urged Canadian parliamentarians to adopt appropriate amendments to the Law on Copyright. A colleague noted in turn that Canada is on the priority watch list of U.S. Trade Representative because it does not adequately protect intellectual property. It is on the watch list for 14 years, but has passed this year in the second of three levels of monitoring, and then it was before the first. The U.S. delegate expressed disappointment that Bill C-61 was not adopted and advocated the prompt filing of necessary legislative changes. He believes, like the previous speaker, that Canada ...