Life Patenting Proposals in the Draft FTAA Chapter on Intellectual Property Rights

The document analyzes the draft IPR chapter of the FTAA, noting that while some options allow nations to limit patents on living creatures, no proposal explicitly prohibits them. It highlights a trend toward tightening IPR protections, including US proposals to mandate UPOV for plant protection and the removal of language promoting technology transfer and transparency, which the author argues harms development concerns.

• The draft IPR text for the FTAA remains largely unresolved, with numerous options and positions still under negotiation, indicated by extensive square brackets in the text.
• None of the current FTAA proposals specifically prohibit patents on life, despite advocacy from civil society and the African Group of WTO members.
• The FTAA proposals range from maintaining the WTO TRIPs baseline to further tightening restrictions, with some options allowing nations to limit patents on living creatures on the basis that they are not "inventions."
• The United States has proposed limiting TRIPs flexibility regarding plants by requiring the implementation of UPOV as an "effective sui generis system."
• Recent changes to the 'General Provisions and Basic Principles' section of the IPR chapter increase protection standards at the expense of development, including the removal of requirements for transparency and the promotion of technology transfer for social and economic welfare.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). Life Patenting Proposals in the Draft FTAA Chapter on Intellectual Property Rights. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IPR_Jan04Statement_IATP.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Life Patenting Proposals in the Draft FTAA Chapter on Intellectual Property Rights. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IPR_Jan04Statement_IATP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Life Patenting Proposals in the Draft FTAA Chapter on Intellectual Property Rights |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IPR_Jan04Statement_IATP.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndlife, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Life Patenting Proposals in the Draft FTAA Chapter on Intellectual Property Rights}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IPR_Jan04Statement_IATP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }