India remains on USTR’s ‘Priority Watch List’ for IPR violations

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests

Context :

The United States placed India on its Priority Watch List for alleged violations of intellectual property rights. The Office of the United States Trade Representative released its annual Special 301 Report, in which it placed 36 countries on the Priority Watch List and Watch List.

More about the news:

India has been on the priority watch list reportedly for over 25 years, for “lack of sufficient measurable improvements to its IP framework that have negatively affected US right holders”.
The office of the US Trade Representative identified 11 countries, including India, in its ‘Priority Watch List’.
The list topped by China also includes Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Besides this, the US Trade body has placed 25 countries, including Pakistan, Turkey and the UAE, on the watchlist

Why India on the list ?

India, in the past year, has taken steps to address intellectual property challenges and promote IP protection and enforcement.
However, many of the actions have not yet translated into concrete benefits for innovators and creators and long-standing deficiencies persist.
India remains one of the world’s most challenging major economies with respect to protection and enforcement of IP
USTR said that long-standing IP challenges facing US businesses in India include those which make it difficult for innovators to receive and maintain patents in that country, particularly for pharmaceuticals, insufficient enforcement actions, copyright policies that do not properly incentivise the creation and commercialisation of content, and an outdated and insufficient trade secrets legal framework.
In addition to these long-standing concerns, the report alleged that India also further restricted the transparency of information provided on state-issued pharmaceutical manufacturing licenses, and expanded the application of patentability exceptions to reject pharmaceutical patents.
India also missed an opportunity to establish an effective system for protecting against the unfair commercial use, as well as the unauthorised disclosure, of undisclosed test or other data generated to obtain marketing approval for certain agricultural chemical products.

Implications :

Countries under priority watch list will be the subject of increased bilateral engagement with the USTR to address Intellectual Property (IP) concerns.
USTR would be reviewing the developments against the benchmarks established in the Special 301 action plans for countries that have been on the ‘Priority Watch List’ for multiple years.
For countries that fail to address US’ concerns, the USTR will take appropriate actions, such as enforcement actions under Section 301 of the Trade Act or pursuant to World Trade Organisation or other trade agreement dispute settlement procedures, necessary to combat unfair trade practices and to ensure that trading partners follow through with their international commitments.

Demands by USTR :

USTR said that to maintain the integrity and predictability of IP systems, governments should use compulsory licenses only in extremely limited circumstances and after making every effort to obtain authorisation from the patent owner on reasonable commercial terms and conditions.
Further, USTR stated that such licenses should not be used as a tool to implement industrial policy, including providing advantages to domestic companies, or as undue leverage in pricing negotiations between governments and right holders.
It added that it is also critical that foreign governments ensure transparency and due process in any actions related to compulsory licenses.
India has yet to take steps to address long-standing patent issues that affect innovative industries.

Source :- Hindu Business Line

Donald Trump to withdraw US from UN Arms Trade Treaty

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests, Indian diaspora.Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate

Context :

President Donald Trump has announced he is withdrawing the US from a UN-negotiated global arms treaty

More about the news:

He dismissed the Arms Trade Treaty, which was signed by Barack Obama in 2013 but never ratified the treaty.
The NRA has long campaigned for an end to US support for the Arms Trade Treaty, which seeks to regulate the global arms trade and keep arms out of the hands of nefarious actors
further, the NRA has criticised the treaty as impinging on the rights of American gun owners by potentially subjecting them to international rules and regulations.
Trump described the UN arms trade treaty as misguided and an intrusion on US sovereignty.
By pulling out of the ATT, the US joins India, which has not signed the treaty.

UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) :

The UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) has the ambitious aim of responding to international concern that the $70 billion a year trade in conventional weapons leaves a trail of atrocities in its wake.
The treaty entered into force on 24 December 2014.
The treaty calls for the international sale of weapons to be linked to the human rights records of buyers.
It requires countries to establish regulations for selling conventional weapons.
It calls for potential arms deals to be evaluated in order to determine whether they might enable buyers to carry out genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes.
The treaty also seeks to prevent conventional military weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists or organized criminal groups, and to stop deals that would violate UN arms embargoes.
The treaty does not regulate the domestic sale or use of weapons in any country. It also recognizes the legitimacy of the arms trade to enable states to provide for their own security.

Conventional Weapons regulated under ATT:

Tanks and other armored combat vehicles, artillery, attack helicopters, naval warships, missiles and missile launchers, and small arms.
It also establishes common international standards for the regulation of the international trade in ammunition, weapons parts, and arms components.

India’s against the treaty:

One of the arguments made by India in 2013 against the treaty was that New Delhi had “strong and effective national export controls” on military hardware to ensure they don’t fall into the wrong hands.

Source :- Economic Times; The Hindu

NASA: Universe expanding faster than expected

GS PAPER - 03 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - Awareness in the Field of Space

Context :

A new study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters has reported that the universe is expanding faster than expected.

Key Highlights :

The space agency’s Hubble Space Telescope shows that it is growing about 9% faster than had been expected, based on the trajectory it started with after the Big Bang
The astronomers had used Hubble to observe 70 pulsating stars called Cepheid variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Significance :

It is an important clue to understanding those mysterious parts of the universe that make up 95 percent of everything and don’t emit light, such as dark energy, dark matter and dark radiation

Hubble Space Telescope:

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is world’s first space-based optical telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990.
It still remains operational. It has been named after astronomer Edwin Hubble.
It is one of NASA’s Great Observatories.
NASA’s series of Great Observatories satellites are four large, powerful space-based astronomical telescopes.
The telescopes other than Hubble include the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope

Source :- Times of India

World’s first floating nuclear power unit set to start operations in Russia

GS PAPER - 03 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

Context :

Russia has successfully tested the world’s first floating nuclear power plant (NPP),Akademik Lomonosov.The nuclear plant is operated by Rosatom,state-run atomic energy corporation in Russia.

World's first 'floating' nuclear power plant (FNPP) :

The FNPP was designed to make it possible to supply electricity to hard-to-reach areas, regardless of transport infrastructure, landscape, and cost of fuel delivery.
The reactor has the potential to work particularly well in regions with extended coastlines, power supply shortages, and limited access to electrical grids.
Akademik Lomonosov -- the first ship of this kind -- was named for 18th-century Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov
The nuclear floating unit is equipped with two KLT-40C reactor systems similar to those used on icebreakers
The vessel is 144 metres long and 30 metres wide
It has a displacement of 21,000 tonnes
The lifecycle of the FNPP is 40 years with the possibility of being extended to up to 50 years
After decommissioning, the unit will be towed to a special deconstruction and recycling facility
No spent nuclear fuel or radioactive waste will be left behind as it will be taken to the special storage facilities

Why a nuclear power plant needs to be floating on water:

For fossil fuel-based electricity generation, up to 40 per cent of the cost is attributed to the price of coal, oil or gas, as well as to the cost of their delivery.
The small size, lightweight, and fixed cost of the FNPP eliminate many such challenges. T
he small nuclear reactor can operate non-stop without the need for refuelling for three to five years, thereby considerably reducing the cost of electricity generation.

Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) :

ROSATOM is the only company in the world to offer integrated clean energy solutions across the nuclear supply chain and beyond, including the design, build and operation of nuclear power stations, uranium mining, conversion and enrichment, the supply of nuclear fuel, decommissioning, spent fuel storage and transportation and safe nuclear waste disposal.
With seventy years' continuous experience, the company is the world leader in high-performance solutions for all kinds of nuclear power plants.
It is also working in the segments of wind generation, nuclear medicine, energy storage and other.
Globally, the company has the second biggest uranium reserves, has 40 per cent of the world's enrichment market, and is the world's biggest builder of the latest generation nuclear power stations

Source :- Times of India

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28th APRIL 2019 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

India remains on USTR’s ‘Priority Watch List’ for IPR violations

Donald Trump to withdraw US from UN Arms Trade Treaty

NASA: Universe expanding faster than expected

World’s first floating nuclear power unit set to start operations in Russia

India remains on USTR’s ‘Priority Watch List’ for IPR violations

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests

Context :

The United States placed India on its Priority Watch List for alleged violations of intellectual property rights. The Office of the United States Trade Representative released its annual Special 301 Report, in which it placed 36 countries on the Priority Watch List and Watch List.

More about the news:

India has been on the priority watch list reportedly for over 25 years, for “lack of sufficient measurable improvements to its IP framework that have negatively affected US right holders”.

The office of the US Trade Representative identified 11 countries, including India, in its ‘Priority Watch List’.

The list topped by China also includes Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Besides this, the US Trade body has placed 25 countries, including Pakistan, Turkey and the UAE, on the watchlist

Why India on the list ?

India, in the past year, has taken steps to address intellectual property challenges and promote IP protection and enforcement.

However, many of the actions have not yet translated into concrete benefits for innovators and creators and long-standing deficiencies persist.

India remains one of the world’s most challenging major economies with respect to protection and enforcement of IP

In addition to these long-standing concerns, the report alleged that India also further restricted the transparency of information provided on state-issued pharmaceutical manufacturing licenses, and expanded the application of patentability exceptions to reject pharmaceutical patents.

India also missed an opportunity to establish an effective system for protecting against the unfair commercial use, as well as the unauthorised disclosure, of undisclosed test or other data generated to obtain marketing approval for certain agricultural chemical products.

Implications :

Countries under priority watch list will be the subject of increased bilateral engagement with the USTR to address Intellectual Property (IP) concerns.

USTR would be reviewing the developments against the benchmarks established in the Special 301 action plans for countries that have been on the ‘Priority Watch List’ for multiple years.

Demands by USTR :

USTR said that to maintain the integrity and predictability of IP systems, governments should use compulsory licenses only in extremely limited circumstances and after making every effort to obtain authorisation from the patent owner on reasonable commercial terms and conditions.

Further, USTR stated that such licenses should not be used as a tool to implement industrial policy, including providing advantages to domestic companies, or as undue leverage in pricing negotiations between governments and right holders.

It added that it is also critical that foreign governments ensure transparency and due process in any actions related to compulsory licenses.

India has yet to take steps to address long-standing patent issues that affect innovative industries.

Source :- Hindu Business Line

Donald Trump to withdraw US from UN Arms Trade Treaty

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests, Indian diaspora.Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate

Context :

President Donald Trump has announced he is withdrawing the US from a UN-negotiated global arms treaty

More about the news:

He dismissed the Arms Trade Treaty, which was signed by Barack Obama in 2013 but never ratified the treaty.

The NRA has long campaigned for an end to US support for the Arms Trade Treaty, which seeks to regulate the global arms trade and keep arms out of the hands of nefarious actors

further, the NRA has criticised the treaty as impinging on the rights of American gun owners by potentially subjecting them to international rules and regulations.

Trump described the UN arms trade treaty as misguided and an intrusion on US sovereignty.

By pulling out of the ATT, the US joins India, which has not signed the treaty.

UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) :

The UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) has the ambitious aim of responding to international concern that the $70 billion a year trade in conventional weapons leaves a trail of atrocities in its wake.

The treaty entered into force on 24 December 2014.

The treaty calls for the international sale of weapons to be linked to the human rights records of buyers.

It requires countries to establish regulations for selling conventional weapons.

It calls for potential arms deals to be evaluated in order to determine whether they might enable buyers to carry out genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes.

The treaty also seeks to prevent conventional military weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists or organized criminal groups, and to stop deals that would violate UN arms embargoes.

The treaty does not regulate the domestic sale or use of weapons in any country. It also recognizes the legitimacy of the arms trade to enable states to provide for their own security.

Conventional Weapons regulated under ATT:

Tanks and other armored combat vehicles, artillery, attack helicopters, naval warships, missiles and missile launchers, and small arms.

It also establishes common international standards for the regulation of the international trade in ammunition, weapons parts, and arms components.

India’s against the treaty:

One of the arguments made by India in 2013 against the treaty was that New Delhi had “strong and effective national export controls” on military hardware to ensure they don’t fall into the wrong hands.

Source :- Economic Times; The Hindu

NASA: Universe expanding faster than expected

GS PAPER - 03 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - Awareness in the Field of Space

Context :

A new study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters has reported that the universe is expanding faster than expected.

Key Highlights :

The space agency’s Hubble Space Telescope shows that it is growing about 9% faster than had been expected, based on the trajectory it started with after the Big Bang

The astronomers had used Hubble to observe 70 pulsating stars called Cepheid variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Significance :

It is an important clue to understanding those mysterious parts of the universe that make up 95 percent of everything and don’t emit light, such as dark energy, dark matter and dark radiation

Hubble Space Telescope:

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is world’s first space-based optical telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990.

It still remains operational. It has been named after astronomer Edwin Hubble.

It is one of NASA’s Great Observatories.

NASA’s series of Great Observatories satellites are four large, powerful space-based astronomical telescopes.

The telescopes other than Hubble include the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope

Source :- Times of India

World’s first floating nuclear power unit set to start operations in Russia

GS PAPER - 03 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

Context :

Russia has successfully tested the world’s first floating nuclear power plant (NPP),Akademik Lomonosov.The nuclear plant is operated by Rosatom,state-run atomic energy corporation in Russia.

World's first 'floating' nuclear power plant (FNPP) :

The FNPP was designed to make it possible to supply electricity to hard-to-reach areas, regardless of transport infrastructure, landscape, and cost of fuel delivery.

The reactor has the potential to work particularly well in regions with extended coastlines, power supply shortages, and limited access to electrical grids.

Akademik Lomonosov -- the first ship of this kind -- was named for 18th-century Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov

The nuclear floating unit is equipped with two KLT-40C reactor systems similar to those used on icebreakers

The vessel is 144 metres long and 30 metres wide

It has a displacement of 21,000 tonnes

The lifecycle of the FNPP is 40 years with the possibility of being extended to up to 50 years