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Note To Subscribers
Note To Subscribers This is the last issue of ICTSD’s BRIDGES Trade BioRes for the year 2001. The first issue of 2002 — Vol. 2, No. 1 — will be published on 24 January. The producers, together with the rest of the ICTSD team, would like to thank our reporting contributors all over the World…
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US Steps Up Pressure Over Biotech Rules
US Steps Up Pressure Over Biotech Rules The US is reported to be losing patience with the continued EU de facto moratorium on the approval of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) with pressure mounting within the US to bring a case to the WTO. At the same time, the environmental organisation Friends of the Earth International…
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US Supreme Court Confirms Legality Of Plant Patents
US Supreme Court Confirms Legality Of Plant Patents The US Supreme Court on 10 December decided that plants developed through genetic engineering or other breeding techniques could be patented under Federal patent law (see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 6 December 2001). The Court rejected the argument put forward by the US-based company J.E.M. Ag Supply in its…
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WIPO Committee: Countries Divided Over Need For New Legal Norms To Protect TK
WIPO Committee: Countries Divided Over Need For New Legal Norms To Protect TK Substantive discussion at the second meeting of the WIPO [World Intellectual Property Organization] Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore on 10 - 14 December in Geneva focused mainly on two subjects: operational principles for contractual agreements…
- In Brief
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Calls for GMO Ban Growing In Mexico
Following the discovery of transgenic components in Mexican native corn varieties (available online), the Mexican Congress unanimously called on President Vicente Fox to ban the importation of GM corn, claiming that it would threaten the genetic integrity of the country’s crops and food supply. The calls were echoed by Mexican environmental and farm organisations in…
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Brazil Combats Illegal Mahogany Trade
The Brazilian government on 6 December announced a decree to protect all remaining mahogany trees in three states against of illegal logging, making certification mandatory for all management plans, which surround Indian lands and conservation areas. The magnitude of the illegal logging activities of mahogany trees in the Amazon became public after Greenpeace submitted a…
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International Certification System for Marine Aquarium Trade
During the 2nd International Marine Ornamentals Conference in Orlando, Florida the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) launched a new certification system for the marine aquarium trade. The certification system, which conforms to WTO standards, was developed through an international process involving conservation groups, the industry, hobbyists, public aquariums and government agencies. The certification…
- Events
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Events
For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar. 9 - 12 January, Hanoi, Vietnam: ASIAN REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON SUSTAINABLE USE OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY. For further information, contact CBD Secretariat, tel: (1 514) 288 2220; fax: 288 6588; email: secretariat@biodiv.org; Internet: http://www.biodiv.org/doc/notifications/ntf-2001-12-07-suse-en.pdf.…
- Resources
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Resources
If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy or review by the BRIDGES staff to hbaumuller@ictsd.ch. Submissions of publications to ICTSD’s documentation centre would also be welcome (contact Matteo Rizzolli). ENVIRONMENTAL TRADE DISPUTES AND THE WTO, by P.K Rao. Published by…