Asean urged to reject EU piracy pact

A consumers' group on Saturday urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to turn down the EU-Asean free trade policy on intellectual property rights protection which, if ratified, could affect the Asean agriculture, biodiversity and public health access.

The EU-Asean agreement, which is under the process of negotiation, demanded extension of its intellectual property rights protection including plants and medicines, even beyond the US trade policy and the agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights under the World Trade Organisation (TRIPS), Jiraporn Limpananont, chairperson of the Foundation for Consumers, said Saturday.

The civic groups are discussing possibility of staging a protest against the ongoing trade proposal between the EU and Asean during the 14th Asean Summit held in in Phetchaburi's Cha-am district from Feb 27 to March 1.

Ms Jiraporn, a former academic at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, pointed  the article 9 of the agreement regarding patent evidently demanded the Asean, as trade party, to commit IP protection which is not in line with TRIPs.

Apart from protection through patent system, the Asean community would also be required to supplement protection certificates, which extend rights protection more than five years in various forms for EU patented products including medicines.