[Fsf-friends]
State Obligation for activities of Transnational Corporations
Ramanraj K
ramanraj.k@gmail.com
Fri Mar 18 18:55:18 IST 2005
The WTO deals elaborately with rights of traders.
It is mostly silent about the obligations of the traders.
What if a patented product messes up the environment and the patentee
has perished into the dust or is untraceable? Who exactly is
responsible for the mess? We today find that the ENRON mess is sought
to be cleared with funds from LIC and EPF. The mess by DDT and other
"US Patents" could hardly be seen as "innovative steps" - they were
just innovative in causing new kinds of cancers and seriously injuring
the natural food cycle that is not easy to repair.
The monopolisation by non-free software companies threatens education
and the moral values we have.
Janet McLean, Faculty of Law, University of Auckland, New Zealand,
delivered the "George P. Smith, II Distinguished Visiting
Professorship Lecutre" at Indiana University School of Law, USA on the
subject of "The Transnational Corporation in History: Lessons for
Today?" which is avilable online at:
http://www.law.indiana.edu/ilj/v79/no2/mclean.pdf
"If we start with the notion that corporations are created by
states or by the operation of law, that they are abstract persons,
then we will be more likely to find a space at least to talk about
what a corporation's obligations should be."
The responsibility and obligations of transnational corporations is
yet to be investigated, researched and found out. Then, the WTO is
clearly an irresponsible regime, incomplete without answers, and it
cannot be shamelessly pushing forward the private interests of a few
multinational corporations who could vanish into the thin air at wish.
Other links to ponder upon:
http://www.healthgap.org/press_releases/05/030104_HGAP_AA_INDIA_IPR.html
The plea from Africa, asking India not to proceed with the
amendments to the patents law, is heart rending, and we should
hold a helping hand, even if it means that bombs may rain over us
this monsoon. There is no much of a choice here: many are waiting
to "out-source pharmaceutical" research to India - in plain
English many poor Indians would end up being used as guniea pigs
for "research" - and the wonderful products could be safely
"protected" through our legal system itself - what convenience!
http://www.expresspharmapulse.com/20050317/happenings05.shtml
William (Bill) Haddad addressed the members of the Press on the
ills of the current Patent Ordinance and rules. He also had a word
of caution for the Government of India, the people of India and
the national sector pharma Industry not to bow to the MNC pressure
and to learn from the pitfalls of the US Patent laws and the
problems faced by the people due to the same.
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