Showing posts with label NAFTA 2.0. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NAFTA 2.0. Show all posts

Saturday, December 1, 2018

USMCA, the new trade deal between the US, Canada, and Mexico, explained; Vox, November 30, 2018

Jen Kirby, Vox; USMCA, the new trade deal between the US, Canada, and Mexico, explained

"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."