ASTA Comments on IP Issues with Thailand, Colombia
- On October 30, 2017
ASTA recently submitted comments in response to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) notice of out-of-cycle reviews of Colombia and Thailand. Pursuant to the 2017 Special 301 Report, USTR is conducting out-of-cycle reviews to monitor progress in specific intellectual property rights (IPR) issues.
In its comments, ASTA thanked USTR for advocating for stronger IP protection and enforcement globally, and called attention to specific areas of concern regarding trade with Thailand and Colombia. With respect to Thailand, ASTA expressed concerns with the Thai government’s authority to seize property within the country—an authority which is limiting U.S. export growth to this rising Asian seed hub. In regard to Colombia, ASTA expressed support for USTR’s continued efforts to encourage the country to pass domestic laws in line with IP-related commitments under UPOV91.
ASTA will continue to monitor and engage in these and other trade-related issues of importance to the U.S. seed industry.
