US Deputy TR Warns India Over Patents

28 October 1996

The US attitude towards India's delayed compliance with World Trade Organization obligations to fall in line with patent rights has hardened, it would appear from remarks made by Jeffrey Lang, Deputy US Trade Representative, during his recent two-day discussions with officials and business leaders in New Delhi.

At the end of his meeting with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mr Lang said: "we are keeping all options, including pursuing our action in WTO, open. I should not spell out, for strategic reasons, what action we shall opt for."

Indian Opposition To US "Interference" Political opposition among India's 13-party United Front government to what is being described as "US interference in the sovereign functioning of the Indian parliament in patents legislation" may have contributed to the hardening of the US stance. A leader of the main right-wing opposition in parliament has stated that the USA should desist from "interfering with the legislative process of the Indian parliament." There is talk of mobilizing public opinion, both nationally and internationally, to fight the TRIPs (Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights) agreement of the WTO. All in all, it looks as if the government will find it hard to carry out its decision, announced more than a month ago, to adopt the bill amending the 1970 Patents Act during the parliament's winter session.

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