The Trans-Pacific Partnership ("TPP") Free
Trade Agreement ("FTA") was agreed on 5 October 2015.
Involving 12 countries (including Australia and New Zealand) and
affecting up to 40% of the world's population, the TPP is
reputed to be the largest FTA in history.
Following agreement of the TPP text, of which intellectual
property policy is a key component, the final stage in the process
is for the TPP to be ratified in each country that is signatory to
the deal.
The TPP has been in the news again recently in the build-up to
next week's United States Presidential elections. Both
candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have made recent
statements in apparent opposition to the TPP – and as such,
it appears that the TPP's best (indeed, possibly only) chance
of ratification in the United States falls within a relatively
narrow three-month window between now and January 2017, when the
new President will be inaugurated.
