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Businesses The Internet United States Politics

US Keeps China, Puts Canada on IP Priority Watch List (reuters.com) 183

Posted by msmash from the tussle-continues dept.
The Trump administration on Friday labeled 36 countries as inadequately protecting U.S. intellectual property rights, keeping China on a priority watch list and adding Canada over concerns about its border controls and pharmaceutical practices. From a report: The U.S. Trade Representative's annual report on global IP concerns is separate from the "Section 301" report on Chinese technology transfer practices that has led the world's two largest economies to threaten each other with tariffs. The so-called "Special 301 Report on Intellectual Property Rights" calls out China for its "coercive technology transfer practices" and "trade secret theft, rampant online piracy, and counterfeit manufacturing." It was the 14th straight year that China was placed on the "Priority Watch List." U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is due to travel to China next week along with other senior Trump administration officials for talks on U.S. demands for changes in Beijing's trade and intellectual property policies.
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US Keeps China, Puts Canada on IP Priority Watch List More

US Keeps China, Puts Canada on IP Priority Watch List

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  • That's OK ... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 27, 2018 @12:57PM (#56514407)

    That's, OK, you're on our "assholes to try to stop doing business with" list.

    So sorry we won't put our national sovereignty and our own legally enshrined rights behind those of asshole corporations -- as much as that's what they've paid your leaders to try to do.

    It won't be long before the US shoots themselves in the foot and starts losing trade as other countries decide putting up with your bullshit isn't worth the effort.

    But keep on trying to act like we all need you and are willing to sign terrible deals to have the privilege of trading with you.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      Funny words from a citizen of a has-been country that is trying desperately to preserver its former wealth.

  • Cheap drugs, expensive country. (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    "Pharmaceutical practices"? As in cheap drugs crossing border into profitstan.

  • Canadian Pharmaceutical Practices? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by foxalopex ( 522681 ) on Friday April 27, 2018 @01:19PM (#56514573)

    I'm going to assume this has something to do with generic drugs? I guess drug companies in the US are more concerned about making a buck than actually helping people. In Canada, most essential drugs have a generic or no-name equivalent which is often cheaper than the brand name drug and works just as well. I sure hope that isn't their complaint because that particular law makes drugs cheaper for the folks who need it.

    • Re:Canadian Pharmaceutical Practices? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by sinij ( 911942 ) on Friday April 27, 2018 @01:23PM (#56514625)
      I guess this more to do with refusal to implement Mickey Mouse [wikipedia.org] laws. Many things go into public domain much earlier in Canada than in USA. Also, there are Canadian laws that cap consumer liability for pirating to $5K or so, as a result RIAA bankrupt-you lawsuits are not possible.

      • Re:Canadian Pharmaceutical Practices? (Score:5, Informative)

        by foxalopex ( 522681 ) on Friday April 27, 2018 @01:31PM (#56514679)

        Actually when it comes to downloaded pirated videos, there's almost no way for content providers to come after you in Canada. In Canada, content providers are never provided the address or personal information of a subscriber because doing so would be a breach of Privacy. They actually need to be granted a search warrant first which is expensive and time consuming. All ISP's do is forward any warning messages from Content Providers to subscribers but there's no real obligation for a subscriber to do anything other than to toss it in the trash.

        • I printed one out and put it in my bbq.

          still use a vpn though

        • Re:Canadian Pharmaceutical Practices? (Score:4, Informative)

          by mark-t ( 151149 ) <markt AT nerdflat DOT com> on Friday April 27, 2018 @02:04PM (#56514939) Journal
          The ISP can terminate your account if the problem persists enough though.

        • All ISP's do is forward any warning messages from Content Providers to subscribers but there's no real obligation for a subscriber to do anything other than to toss it in the trash.

          Recurrence rates are claimed to be low, so just forwarding warnings "seem to be helping", so I'm hoping that's enough to keep content providers at bay. Some try to add shady text and links to their notices, to trick people to identify themselves.

          HBO seems to be the most active, and target Torrents, so I just make sure I download their shows from streaming services, or through a VPN.

      • I read that Star Trek TOS is public domain in Canada, some execs in USA must fumes!

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by mark-t ( 151149 )
          You have been misinformed. Star Trek, even TOS, is still definitely covered by copyright in Canada.
        • It's complicated. Copyright term in Canada is life of the author plus 50 years for written works and 50 years from first broadcast or recording for other works. If TOS was broadcast in Canada at the same time as the US, the broadcast would be in the public domain, but the scripts would not be (which would prevent anyone from using them without authorization). Gene Roddenberry didn't die until 1991, so anything written by him would be protected until 2041. That's sooner than in the USA but still 23 years

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by mark-t ( 151149 )
            Copyright in Canada has been life of author + 70 years for quite some time now. The copyright on TOS won't expire in Canada until after 2061.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by mark-t ( 151149 )

        Continued extensions are no longer necessary for that now that Disney has finally gotten around to trademarking the Mouse and its image. Trademarks do not have an expiry, and last for as long as the company is willing to protect them.

        This doesn't technically stop people from freely copying old works whose copyright has expired, even if they feature the trademarked character, but it does stop anyone from being able to utilize the character in their own work, even if that work was derived from one that wa

      • Re:Canadian Pharmaceutical Practices? (Score:5, Informative)

        by AnthonywC ( 4415891 ) on Friday April 27, 2018 @02:09PM (#56514979)
        Because in Canada they actually care more about the common people interests versus big corporations; which is what democracy should strive to be, politicians voted in by the public should actually look after common people's interest. I'd argue it is even common sense that RIAA or whatever big corporation interest group should not have the power to bankrupt an average consumer who is not commercially profiting, but again in Canada it is also quite unheard of for someone to go bankrupt due to medical issue either.

      • Walt Disney is dead (or at least frozen). It's time to let the 1928 copyright on an 8 minute short expire. This doesn't mean they've lost copyright on every Mickey Mouse cartoon. They've got enough newer movies and cartoons that they won't become bankrupt. It's idiocy to keep going on this way.

      • The Canadian health care system has its aspects. I am not sure about the details, but one effect is that Canadians cannot use private hospitals in Canada. There are facilities that amount to private clinics/hospitals, but they are for visiting American business people, Canadians cannot use them.

        I am fortunate to have a great physician. He works half-time at one of these private clinics, where he can spend the time to do medicine the way he thinks it should be done. I gather that he makes enough money

        • Nothing stopping Canadians from going to private hospitals (stopping people from seeking help? Umm no), just that provincial insurance may not cover services. I could get an MRI from my local hospital with 8 month wait for free, or I could drop something like $1200-1800 and get one in 3 days in Vancouver. Also, family doctors have limits on what they charge compared to American family doctors. If your doctor isn't working as often, it's likely he's getting paid a lot more than someone younger but seeing mo
    • We have plenty of generic drugs and for most every condition. There are a few (very few) drugs in the US that have absolutely no generic or biosimilar counterpart. I would easily say that 95% of the brand-name drugs you hear about or see advertised are designer or a slight tweak to a previous med. There are virtually no novel drugs in the pipeline. Source: I'm a clinical Pharmacist.

      • Re:Canadian Pharmaceutical Practices? (Score:5, Informative)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 ) <[ten.frow] [ta] [todhsals]> on Friday April 27, 2018 @02:22PM (#56515069)

        We have plenty of generic drugs and for most every condition. There are a few (very few) drugs in the US that have absolutely no generic or biosimilar counterpart. I would easily say that 95% of the brand-name drugs you hear about or see advertised are designer or a slight tweak to a previous med. There are virtually no novel drugs in the pipeline. Source: I'm a clinical Pharmacist.

        One thing Canada doesn't allow is direct-to-consumer drug advertising. US commercials are filled with "Are you feeling XXX? Perhaps you have condition YYYY. Consult your doctor and see if ZZZZ is right for you!". This is one way to bypass generic drugs - if you're asking for them by name, there's no option to buy the generic version of the same drug.

        And pharmacists here are generally quick to ask if you'd want a generic or the branded stuff - it can affect things like extended health drug coverage -

        • Re:Canadian Pharmaceutical Practices? (Score:4, Informative)

          by Strider- ( 39683 ) on Friday April 27, 2018 @02:36PM (#56515155)

          One thing Canada doesn't allow is direct-to-consumer drug advertising. US commercials are filled with "Are you feeling XXX? Perhaps you have condition YYYY. Consult your doctor and see if ZZZZ is right for you!". This is one way to bypass generic drugs - if you're asking for them by name, there's no option to buy the generic version of the same drug.

          Well, it's a little more complex in Canada. You're allowed to advertise a drug name, but not what it treats, or you can advertise a condition but not a drug to treat it. This is how you get some rather cheeky Viagra and Cialis advertisements, and a lot of advertisements on various conditions that just say "talk to your doctor if you feel this way".

        • if you're asking for them by name, there's no option to buy the generic version of the same drug.

          I don't know where you are getting that from. Your doctor can easily prescribe the generic even if you ask about a drug under its brand name. You can demand "no generics", but that doesn't mean you can't buy a generic if you prefer.

          And pharmacists here are generally quick to ask if you'd want a generic or the branded stuff

          Yep. So you can ask your doctor about Floqueezy all you want, but that won't prevent you from buying the cheaper generic.

    • Re:Canadian Pharmaceutical Practices? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by thomst ( 1640045 ) on Friday April 27, 2018 @01:51PM (#56514831) Homepage

      foxalopex posited:

      I'm going to assume this has something to do with generic drugs? I guess drug companies in the US are more concerned about making a buck than actually helping people. In Canada, most essential drugs have a generic or no-name equivalent which is often cheaper than the brand name drug and works just as well. I sure hope that isn't their complaint because that particular law makes drugs cheaper for the folks who need it.

      That's certainly part of it. Their Supreme Court's intolerance of patent abuse [theglobeandmail.com], and its willingness to punish it appropriately [wikipedia.org] is, I suspect, also a non-trivial consideration ...

    • Re:Canadian Pharmaceutical Practices? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by AnthonywC ( 4415891 ) on Friday April 27, 2018 @02:02PM (#56514921)
      No shit that US drugs companies care more about $ than helping people, in fact I would say they prefer to make a killing (pun intended) on it. To a greater extent, the same argument goes for/against universal health care as it is really about how much a country values about its citizen's health versus profitability of the its medical/drug industry.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      I'm going to assume this has something to do with generic drugs?

      I doubt it, Canada has relatively high prices for generic drugs.

      In most cases, the USA has far more companies competing for generic drugs, and you have many companies (Walmart, Target, Walgreens, etc.) selling common generics for $4.

      Yes, $4 is the total cost.

      You won't find a pharmacy in Ontario where the pharmacy's dispensing fee (let alone the cost of the medication) is less than $4.

      I guess drug companies in the US are more concerned about mak

  • Canada's border controls? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dstyle5 ( 702493 ) on Friday April 27, 2018 @01:20PM (#56514583)
    Which country is letting large numbers of immigrants illegally cross the border into Quebec and Manitoba the past few years? President Trump doesn't seem to concerned about stopping that from happening. Our current government is also part of the problem.

    As for the "pharmaceutical practices" I don't know about IP issues, but I know the cost of drugs here isn't nearly as ridiculous as things are becoming in the U.S. Sorry we aren't letting drug companies rip off people as badly as they do in your country, Mr. President.

    • Re:Canada's border controls? (Score:4, Funny)

      by fred6666 ( 4718031 ) on Friday April 27, 2018 @01:46PM (#56514797)

      Canada should build a wall and send the bill to Trump.

    • Which country is letting large numbers of immigrants illegally cross the border into Quebec and Manitoba the past few years? President Trump doesn't seem to concerned about stopping that from happening. Our current government is also part of the problem.

      How is this even happening? Manitoba and Quebec share a border with one nation - the USA. Is this a bunch of hyperbole? Is your country letting questionable people in on tourist visas who aren't leaving and for some reason are finding Manitoba and Quebec to be extra welcoming?

      • Re:Illegal immigrants to Canada? (Score:5, Informative)

        by dstyle5 ( 702493 ) on Friday April 27, 2018 @03:25PM (#56515453)
        No hyperbole, it is people crossing the border illegally. I have no problem with people legally immigrating to Canada, the neighborhood I live in is 40% immigrants. But when both US and Canadian governments allow it to happen it is an affront to the people who are legally immigrating, IMHO.

        "Roughly 75 per cent of the 25,000 asylum seekers who crossed into Quebec last year did so illegally and the government is anticipating a surge in migrants arriving again this year."

        https://globalnews.ca/news/415... [globalnews.ca]

        "Officials said Monday it is expecting about 400 people to cross the border through forests and wooded areas every day this summer — up from 250 each day last year."

        https://globalnews.ca/news/414... [globalnews.ca]

    • The cost is the thing that got Canada on the watch list. The price disparity is so great that people are smuggling drugs across the border. Cheaper to pay a shady black market dealer to buy your life-saving medication as a generic in Canada and sneak it through the post than to buy exactly the same substance as a brand-name drug in the US.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Piata ( 927858 )
      I have a feeling by "border controls" they mean the extremely low $20 limit allowed on imports before duty fees kick in. The US has very openly criticized Canada for having one of the lowest import limits in the world, essentially blocking US companies from the Canadian market.

  • In other news... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Sebby ( 238625 ) on Friday April 27, 2018 @01:29PM (#56514663)
    The U.S. has now been added to the list of #shithole countries.
  • Seriously, Canada, along with the UK, are our closest allies.
    In addition, neither of them deserve the treatment that Trump has given them.
    I now know how an East Germany felt.

    • Seriously, Canada, along with the UK, are our closest allies.
      In addition, neither of them deserve the treatment that Trump has given them.
      I now know how an East Germany felt.

      Canada has been on these U.S. lists for a LONG time. As to the treatment consider how post 9/11 Bush kept thanking the countries that helped and backed the U.S., the only time he mentioned Canada was when questioned by the press for his omission to which he responded "You don't thank family". How dysfunctional is the the Bush family? So yeah we have had this treatment by a lot more than just Trump.

      It isn't even just the politicos like Bush and Trump but also can be the people as in the incident where 3

  • pesky job killing regulations (Score:5, Informative)

    by sdinfoserv ( 1793266 ) on Friday April 27, 2018 @02:17PM (#56515031)
    This is yet another tale of corporate oligarchy extracting their government sponsored payola.
    A pain killer that as $138 in 2013 is now $2979 (http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/15/investing/drug-prices-vimovo-horizon-painkiller/index.html )
    https://www.chausa.org/publica... [chausa.org]

    This is how they (the GOP) will ultimately kill medicare.
    If we ever want to bring health care costs, and being care to the masses, these companies must be broken. This is no longer about profit but gouging. The only way to get this country back is campaign finance reform.

    • America should simply wake up.
      One of the best health care on the planet you get in ....
      CUBA!

      Ah ... there are stupids laws that you may not fly as an american to Cuba ...

      • Americans can't "wake up". We no longer posses the ability to think for ourselves. By vilifying and subsequently defunding education the GOP accomplished 2 goals:
        First - it frees up cash to give back to the oligarchy,
        Second - undermine education to remove critical thinking and reasoning skills which harbor the ability to challenge the oligarchy and implement positive change.
        Need proof, just look at the US global rankings
        http://hechingerreport.org/u-s... [hechingerreport.org]
        http://www.pewresearch.org/fac... [pewresearch.org]

  • Stick to the Constitutional requirement, not this insane LIFETIME plus 90 years fake US version of copyright and patent that includes "business processes".

  • Canada should put US on Data Security watchlist... considering their shady as fuck snooping laws and practices.

  • Show him a map.
    I guess he believes Canada is a province of Syria or something ...

  • Most of us Canadians (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Kernel Kurtz ( 182424 ) on Friday April 27, 2018 @05:33PM (#56516119)

    have just come to expect Mr Trump to be what could charitably be called erratic.

    I'd think that is similar to the view from the rest of the world as well.

  • "over concerns about its border controls and pharmaceutical practices."

    Exactly, we can't have those Canadian fuckers sell meemaw and peepaw their much needed drugs for a reasonable price.

  • There are a number of things the Canadian government wants to "negotiate away" at these talks. We have market quotas for chicken and milk that cost consumers millions but have been politically impossible to remove. The Canadian government would love to give these away as concessions for something. There are probably some US politicians that would like to make "concessions" on some stupid American law that is politically difficult to remove. Canada can't be the only country with dumb laws for rich specia
  • The authors need to work in "sheltered" employment: in a world containing facts, they're at a distinct disadvantage (;-))

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