Washington, DC The House Caucus on Intellectual Property hosted today, Wednesday February 16, 2005, a roundtable discussion organized by the International Intellectual Property Institute (IIPI) concerning the impact of the recent strengthening of intellectual property protections in Jordan on its life sciences industries. The discussion focused on IIPI’s recent report Establishing Globally Competitive Pharmaceutical and Bio-medical Technology Industries in Jordan: Assessment of Business Strategies and the Enabling Environment, and was attended by more than 60 House members and staffers.
Jordan joined the World Trade Organization in 1999 and signed the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement in 2001. Both these trade agreements required Jordan to update its intellectual property laws and improve intellectual property enforcement. At the time, many believed that stronger intellectual property protections in the country would harm economic growth. However, contrary to these predictions, becoming part of the global trading community and the adoption of strong intellectual property protections has benefited Jordan.
Representative Feeney Welcomes House IP Caucus Audience
Establishing Globally Competitive Pharmaceutical and Bio-medical Technology Industries in Jordan shows that the new intellectual property protections have opened up new health sectors, including contract clinical research which has spurred a new focus on research-based innovation for Jordanian pharmaceutical companies. Further, there is a growing multinational presence, and the number of clinical trials has multiplied. This in turn has fueled job growth and launched Jordan as a leading knowledge economy in the Middle East.
Speakers featured at the invent included Jordan’s Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Karim Kawar, Assistant United States Trade Representative for Europe and the Mediterranean, Catherine Novelli, and the report’s principal investigator, IIPI Senior Consultant Michael P. Ryan, Ph.D.
Photo © Natalia Klenova 2007