Open Access News

News from the open access movement


Monday, September 15, 2003

Venezualan position on WTO breakdown

By all accounts, the WTO meeting in Cancun, Mexico, ended yesterday in failure and deadlock. Here's an excerpt from a statement by Ramon Rosales, the Venezualan Minister of Production & Commerce, at the conclusion of the meeting: "In today's asymmetric relations, the North's advantages reside precisely in the areas of science and technology. The international regime of definition and protection of intellectual property is oriented towards accentuating this asymmetry....The agreements on intellectual property cannot be obstacles to people's right to benefit from scientific progress, from technological advances, and from access to quality foods and medicines."