Fourteenth Meeting

Panama, March 4-6, 2002

PRESS COMMUNIQUE

The fourteenth meeting of the FTAA Negotiating Group on Intellectual Property Rights (NGIP) took place in Panama on March 4-6, 2002. Delegates from the following 16 countries were present: Argentina, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, United States and Uruguay. The agenda of the meeting is attached to this Communiqué. The NGIP discussed all items on its agenda. The NGIP consolidated Part II, Section 6, 8, 10 and 11 (Patents, Utility Models, Rights of Breeders of Plant Varieties, and Undisclosed Information) of the NGIP draft preliminary text. The date of the next meeting of the NGIP will be determined by the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC).