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ARTICLE · 12 JUNE 2013

A Kiwi-sized "Spanner in the works" of the TPP?

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The TPP will have very real consequences in respect of the Australasian healthcare industry and NZ patent law reform.

AustraliaIntellectual Property
Charles Tansey
Charles Tansey
Gareth Dixon
Gareth Dixon
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We have previously reported on progress toward the Trans-Pacific Partnership ("TPP") – a Free Trade Agreement ("FTA") presently under negotiation by Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam. Recently, the negotiating parties set themselves a goal of finalising the agreement by October 2013.

The TPP will have very real consequences in respect of (to name but a couple) the Australasian healthcare industry, and patent law reform in New Zealand. For the negotiating parties, it represents an opportunity to trade freely with the United States. However, it is also somewhat politically-sensitive such that in order to do so, certain concessions will probably need to be made.

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