American Journal of International Law, Vol. 99, pp. 317-58, 2005

Download Here:  http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=763224

On August 30, 2003, the member countries of the WTO adopted the Decision on Implementation of Paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health. This Decision provides flexibility for the export of pharmaceutical products under compulsory license (which flexibility might otherwise have been limited by the terms of the TRIPS Agreement). This article analyzes negotiating strategies used by developing countries to achieve their objectives regarding the Decision at the WTO. The United States is pursuing the negotiation of bilateral and regional trade agreements that restrict the regulatory flexibility of developing (and developed) countries under the WTO TRIPS Agreement, Doha Declaration and Decision. This article considers whether developing countries might adapt strategies used effectively at the WTO to prevent further loss of regulatory flexibility in alternative negotiating fora.