Statement from the French Trade Minister on Indian Patents Bill.

[Guest guest]

Statement from the French Trade Minister on the upcoming Indian Patents

Bill.

Paris, December 16 2004

François Loos pleads for India to keep playing an active role in supplying

medicines to least-advanced countries During his trip to India on December 6-10,

François Loos, French Minister for Foreign Trade, commended to the Ministers of

Trade and Finance - Mr Nath and Mr Chadambaram - India's efforts to make its

patent protection law compliant with international intellectual property

agreements.

" France hopes that the Indian law will ensure a level of intellectual property

protection faithful to the TRIPS Agreement, which will facilitate foreign

investment as well as protect Indian inventions " Minister Loos explained. Both

Indian Ministers indicated to him that a law to this effect would be adopted by

next January 1st.

The Minister also recalled that he is pleading for a rapid transposition

into European Community law of the agreement on medicines of August 2003. He has

just written to the European Commission to that effect. François Loos also

invited India to put its manufacuting capacities at the disposal of countries

with no such capacity for the fight against health crises.

" France is very attached to the continuance of India's role as a provider of

generic medicines to least-advanced countries, notably in the fight against

AIDS. I hope that India will take the necessary steps for implementing the

August 30 2003 agreement on medicines in the spirit of its adoption in Geneva,

and that the triggering treshold for compulsory licensing can be lowered " the

Minister pleaded with his Indian counterparts.

Contact :

Sophie GUILLON - Communications Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Trade

Telephone : +33.(0)1 53 18 46 57 - Fax : +33.(0)1 53 18 97 39

Mobile : +33.(0)6.81.58.99.03

Mail : sophie.guillon@...

_______________________________________________

Cross posted from Ip-health mailing list

Ip-health@...

http://lists.essential.org/mailman/listinfo/ip-health