WTO : EU Launches WTO Case Against China
On 1 June 2018 the EU launched legal proceedings (consultation procedure) in the WTO against Chinese legislation which, according to the EU, undermines the intellectual property rights of European companies. European companies going to China are forced to grant ownership or usage rights of their technology to domestic Chinese entities and are deprived of the ability to freely negotiate market-based terms in technology transfer agreements. According to the EU, this situation contradicts the basic rights companies are granted under WTO rules, particularly under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement). The case initiated today by the EU targets specific provision under the Chinese regulation on import and export of technologies known as TIER and the regulation of Chinese-foreign equity joint ventures (known as “JV Regulation”) which, according to the EU, discriminate against non-Chinese companies and treat them worse than domestic ones. If consultations requested today do not reach a satisfactory solution within 60 days, the EU will be able to request that the WTO sets up a panel to rule on the matter.
http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=1852
