[Fsf-friends] State Obligation for activities of Transnational Corporations

[Ramanraj K]

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.