"Intellectual property protections and digital trade provisions
This is seen as a win for the United States. The new agreement extends the terms of copyright
from 50 years beyond the life of the author to 70 years beyond the
life of the author. It also offers increased protections for a certain
type of drug from eight years to 10 years — which basically extends the
period that a drug can be protected from generic competition.
There’s also the fact that NAFTA was negotiated more than
two decades ago, so it didn’t really deal with the internet. The USMCA
aims to fix that by adding new provisions for the digital economy. These
provisions include
things like no duties on products purchased electronically, such as
music or e-books, and protections for internet companies so they’re not
liable for content their users produce.
Some experts told me these digital trade provisions fall short of what’s needed for a modernized NAFTA, but it’s a start."
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