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Article

19 Nov 2013

Author:
Mark Weisbrot, Guardian (UK)

The Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty is the complete opposite of 'free trade'

...Laws to protect the environment, food safety, consumers (from monopoly pricing), and other public interest concerns can now be traded away in "trade" negotiations. And US law must be made to conform to the treaty...[T]he latest draft of the "intellectual property" chapter of the agreement, one of 24 (out of 29) chapters that do not have to do with trade. This chapter has provisions that will make it easier for pharmaceutical companies to get patents, including in developing countries; have these patents for more years; and extend the ability of these companies to limit access to the scientific data that is necessary for other researchers to develop new medicines. And the United States is even pushing for provisions that would allow surgical procedures to be patented – provisions that may be currently against US law...One part of the TPP that shows why negotiators want to minimize public awareness of the agreement consists of provisions giving corporations the right...to directly sue governments for regulations that infringe upon their profits or potential profits...US corporate interests are, rather obviously in this case, driving the agenda of the TPP...

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