Press Release: EU requests WTO panel on US trademark law

The EU announced on 3.7.00 that it was requesting a WTO Panel against a U.S. law restricting the rights of foreign right-holders of U.S. trademarks. Under Section 211 of the 1998 U.S. Omnibus Appropriations Act, foreign companies with Cuban assets are prevented from registering and enforcing their trademarks in the U.S. unless they comply with discriminatory obligations which are in contradiction with international intellectual property rules. The EU is of the view that the conditions set forth in Section 211 violate several obligations of the U.S. under the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs Agreement) since it treats certain foreign right-holders with Cuban assets less favourably than U.S. right-holders

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/818562.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/818562.stm

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