10 Reasons why the Transatlantic and Trans-Pacific Partnerships are Good for America
8. TPP Will Improve Intellectual Property Rights
The intellectual property section of the TPP lays out an improved level of protections signators must enforce for Trademarks, Copyright, and Patents. Trademarks may be visual, auditory, or scents, and are granted exclusive use for trade. Copyright is granted at a length of life of author plus 70 years, and makes willful circumvention of protections (such as Digital rights management) illegal. Patents are given for new forms and uses, regardless of whether they are improvements. The TPP also establishes that “making available” is the exclusive right of the copyright owner.
Some of the provisions relating to the enforcement of patents and copyrights alleged to be present in the US proposal for the agreement have been especially restrictive toward piracy and technological copying, providing intellectual property restraints beyond those in the Korea–US trade agreement and Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). In the future, it will help to keep Asian companies like Samsung from copying US made products like Apple’s iPhone.
