FTA

The United States government engages in bilateral and regional negotiations on Free Trade Agreements, which include intellectual property chapters. Scroll down this page to read more about these activities. For additional details, see USTR's webpage on trade agreements, at http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Agreements/Section_Index.html.

	ANDEAN FTA
	Negotiations for an Andean FTA with Colombia, Peru and Ecuador began in May 2004, with Bolivia as an observer. Negotiations for such a regional agreement later halted, and separate bilateral negotiations continued with Peru and Colombia on their respective Trade Promotion Agreements with the U.S. (see below). Shortly thereafter on February 27, 2006, Colombia and the U.S. concluded negotiations on an TPA (see below). Negotiations with Ecuador were suspended on May 17, 2006.
	October 13, 2006	IIPA submits comments to the USITC on the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.
	March 28, 2006	IIPA shares its views on the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement with the USITC.
	March 10, 2004	IIPA requests to testify on Andean copyright developments and the desired FTA IPR obligations at the March 17 interagency hearing on the proposed U.S.-Andean FTA, (69 Fed. Reg. 7532, Feb.17, 2004).

	AUSTRALIA FTA
	FTA negotiations were completed on February 8, 2004, and the agreement was signed on May 18, 2004. President Bush signed implementing legislation into law on August 3, 2004. The FTA entered into force on January 1, 2005.
	July 15, 2010	IIPA submitted comments to the USITC on effects of the FTAs with Chile, Australia, and Singapore.
	October 30, 2006	IIPA submits comments to Australia's Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee on the Copyright Amendment Bill 2006.
	October 5, 2006	IIPA comments on Australia's Exposure Draft of the Copyright Amendment Regulations 2006.
	September 21, 2006	IIPA comments on Australia's Exposure Draft of the Copyright Amendment (Technological Protection Measures) Bill 2006.
	May 09, 2006	IIPA submits comments to the Australian Attorney General regarding the report of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs entitled “Review of technological protection measures exception” (“LACA Report”).
	June 3, 2005	IIPA comments on the Australian Attorney-General's Issues Paper on “Fair Use and Other Copyright Exceptions"
	November 17, 2004	The U.S. copyright industries' applaud the January 1, 2005 entry into force of the U.S.-Australian Free Trade Agreement.
	February 9, 2004	IIPA applauds the conclusion of the U.S.-Australia FTA.
	January 21, 2003	IIPA provides comments to USTR regarding intellectual property rights issues that should be addressed in the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement negotiations, 67 Fed. Reg. 76431 (December 12, 2002).

	BAHRAIN FTA
	Negotiations were concluded on May 27, 2004, and the FTA was signed on September 14, 2004. President Bush signed legislation implementing this FTA on January 11, 2006, making it the first U.S. trade pact with a Persian Gulf country. On July 27, 2006, President Bush issued a proclamation to implement the U.S.-Bahrain FTA and it entered into force on August 1, 2006.
	August 3, 2004	IIPA files comments with the U.S. International Trade Commission on the copyright and enforcement aspects of the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement.
	May 27, 2004	IIPA applauds the conclusion of the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement.
	November 5, 2003	RIAA and IIPA submits testimony for the November 5 public hearing concerning the proposed United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, 68 Fed. Reg. 51062 (August 25, 2003).

	CENTRAL AMERICA - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FTA
	Negotiations with El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua concluded in December 2003 and negotiations with Costa Rica concluded in late January 2004. The CAFTA was signed on May 28, 2004. Bilateral negotiations with the Dominican Republic were concluded in March 2004, and was signed on August 5, 2004. President Bush signed the implementing legislation for the DR-CAFTA on August 2, 2005. Entry into force for the U.S. was January 1, 2006. Here are the following dates for entry into force: El Salvador on March 1, 2006; Nicaragua and Honduras on April 1, 2006; Guatemala on July 1, 2006; the Dominican Republic on March 1, 2007; and Costa Rica on January 1, 2009.
	August 2, 2005	IIPA applauds the signing of the Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).
	August 5, 2004	IIPA comments on the signing of the U.S.-DR-CAFTA, and cautions that the Dominican Republic government must take swift and immediate actions to correct longstanding problems of widespread broadcast piracy and delays in criminal copyright cases.
	May 28, 2004	IIPA supports the signing of the U.S.-Central American FTA.
	May 4, 2004	IIPA submits its post-hearing brief on the CAFTA and the DR FTA IPR chapters with the U.S. International Trade Commission.
	April 19, 2004	IIPA files comments with the U.S. ITC on the IPR chapters in the FTAs with Central America and the Dominican Republic.
	March 16, 2004	The U.S. Copyright Industries acknowledge the conclusion of the FTA negotiations with the Dominican Republic, and hope for immediate, improved copyright enforcement in-country.
	December 17, 2003	The U.S. copyright industries applaud the conclusion of the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement.
	October 30, 2003	IIPA submits a Post-Hearing Brief on the Proposed U.S.-Dominican Republic Free Trade Negotiations, 68 Fed. Reg. 51823 (Aug. 28, 2003)
	October 1, 2003	IIPA submits notice of Intent to Testify and Written Testimony for October 8 Public Hearing Concerning the Proposed U.S. - Dominican Republic Free Trade Negotiations, 68, Fed. Reg. 51823 (Aug. 28, 2003)
	July 16, 2003	IIPA sends letter to USTR Robert Zoellick advocating that the Dominican Republic should not be "docked" to the U.S.-Central America FTA.

	CHILE FTA
	The U.S. and Chile signed the FTA on June 6, 2003. President Bush signed the implementing legislation on September 3, 2003. The FTA entered into force on January 1, 2004.
	July 15, 2010	IIPA submitted comments to the USITC on effects of the FTAs with Chile, Australia, and Singapore.
	May 8, 2003	IIPA submits comments to the International Trade Commission (ITC) in support of Congressional adoption of the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement, 68 Fed. Reg. 18673 (April 16, 2003).
	November 5, 2002	IIPA Presidents' write to USTR Robert Zoellick on the copyright industries' concerns regarding the reported inadequacy of Chile's FTA proposals affecting copyright and enforcement as well as services and e-commerce.
	December 12, 2001	IIPA submits comments to the ITC Investigation on the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement, Inv. No. 332-434, 66 Fed. Reg. 58451 (Nov. 28, 2001)

	COLOMBIA FTA
	Negotiations with Colombia began in May 2004. On February 27, 2006, Colombia and the U.S. concluded negotiations on an FTA, and on August 24, 2006, President Bush notified the Congress of his intent to enter into a TPA with Colombia. On November 22, 2006, the U.S. and Colombia signed the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. On June 28, 2007, the U.S. and Colombia reached agreement on amendments to the TPA to reflect the bipartisan trade agreement between the Administration and Congressional leadership that was reached on May 10, 2007, and will be legally binding and enforceable. On April 7, 2008, the Bush Administration sent this FTA to Congress for its consideration under the "fast track" rules and Congressional consideration is still pending.
	July 29, 2010	IIPA supports Latin America Trade Coalition Letter to senior Congressional officials supporting the prompt consideration of the U.S.-Colombia and U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreements.
	October 13, 2006	IIPA submits comments to the USITC on the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.

	FREE TRADE AREA OF THE AMERICAS (FTAA)
	Regional efforts to promote the free flow of trade in the western hemisphere were launched at Summit of the Americas in Miami in December 1994. There are nine FTAA negotiating groups, including one on intellectual property rights, and these negotiations were to conclude no later than January 2005. Negotiations, however, stalled. For more information on the FTAA, visit the official FTAA website at www.ftaa-alca.org
	August 29, 2003	IIPA Position Paper submitted to the Americas Business Forum VIII Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights to be held in Miami, Florida, U.S.A.
	February 27, 2003	IIPA files comments on the IPR Chapter in the second draft consolidated text of the FTAA Agreement, 67 Fed. Reg. 249 (December 27, 2002).
	September 23,2002	IIPA files comments concerning Market Access and Other Issues in the Free Trade Area of the Americas Negotiations, 66 Fed. Reg. 49732 (July 31, 2002)
	August 30, 2002	IIPA Position Paper submitted to the Americas Business Forum VII Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights in Quito, Ecuador
	August 22, 2001	IIPA files comments to USTR on the draft consolidated text for the Chapter on Intellectual Property Rights of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Agreement, 66 Fed. Reg. 36614 (July 12, 2001).
	February 10, 2001	IIPA Position Paper submitted to the Americas Business Forum VI Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights in Buenos Aires, Argentina
	February 17, 2000	IIPA files comments regarding negotiations toward a Free Trade Area of the Americas, 64 Fed. Reg. 72715 (Dec. 28, 1999)
	September 10, 1999	IIPA Position Paper submitted to the Americas Business Forum V Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights in Toronto, Canada
	March 16-18, 1998	IIPA Position Paper submitted to the Americas Business Forum IV Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights in San José, Costa Rica
	May 13, 1997	IIPA Position Paper submitted to the Americas Business Forum III Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights in Belo Horizonte, Brazil
	May 18-21, 1996	IIPA Position Paper submitted to the Americas Business Forum II Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights in Cartagena, Colombia
	May 18-21, 1996	Ponencia de IIPA sobre el fomento de la protección, la aplicación de las leyes pertinentes y el acceso al mercado en las Américas de los productos con derechos de autor reservados (Spanish Text)

	JORDAN FTA
	The U.S. and Jordan signed the FTA on October 24, 2000. The FTA entered into force on December 17, 2001.
	February 13, 2005	IIPA Comments on Jordan FTA in the 2005 IIPA Special 301 Report.

	KOREA FTA
	On February 2, 2006, USTR notified Congress of the President 's intention to initiate FTA negotiations with the Republic of Korea (KORUS). Negotiations were concluded on April 2, 2007. The KORUS was signed on June 30, 2007. It is pending U.S. Congressional approval.
	January 25, 2011	IIPA commented on the State of the Union Address regarding the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.
	September 15, 2009	IIPA filed comments with USTR on the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement.
	October 3, 2007	IIPA submits comments on the proposed amendments to the Korean Copyright Act to the Korean government.
	April 27, 2007	The government advisory committee, ITAC 15 submits its report on the Korea FTA to USTR and Commerce.
	June 25, 2007	IIPA submits comments to the USITC regarding copyright and market access issues in the Korea-US FTA.
	March 3, 2006	IIPA requests to testify at a TPSC hearing on the proposed Free Trade Agreement with the Republic of Korea.

	MALAYSIA FTA
	On March 8, 2006, USTR notified Congress of the President 's intention to initiate FTA negotiations with Malaysia. Negotiations began but stalled quickly. In November 2009, USTR Kirk signaled that the U.S. will not pursue an FTA with Malaysia but instead may work on trade in other fora, possibly including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) effort.
	April 18, 2006	IIPA requests to testify at a TPSC hearing on the proposed Free Trade Agreement with Malaysia.

	MOROCCO FTA
	Negotiations on a free trade agreement between the U.S. and Morocco were launched in January 2003, and concluded on March 2, 2004. President Bush signed U.S. implementing legislation into law on August 17, 2004. Although entry into force of this FTA was delayed, it entered into force on January 1, 2006.
	June 15, 2004	IIPA supports the signing of the U.S.-Morocco FTA.
	March 2, 2004	IIPA applauds the conclusion of the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement.

	NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT (NAFTA)
	NAFTA entered into force on January 1, 1994.
	February 14, 2003	IIPA provides comments to the ITC on the impact of the NAFTA IPR Chapter and the WTO TRIPS Agreement on the U.S. economy, 67 Fed. Reg. 182 (September 19, 2002).

	OMAN FTA
	Negotiations commenced in March 2005, and were concluded on October 3, 2005. This FTA was signed on January 19, 2006, making Oman the fifth Middle Eastern country to have negotiated an FTA with the U.S. President Bush signed the implementing legislation on September 26, 2006. Oman completed its implementation process so that the FTA entered into force on January 1, 2009.
	January 19, 2005	The U.S. copyright industries applaud the signing of the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement.
	January 5, 2005	IIPA files Notice of Intent to testify and Written Testimony on the proposed U.S.-Oman FTA

	PANAMA TPA
	Negotiations were launched in April 2004, and concluded on December 19, 2006. The U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement was signed on June 28, 2007. It is pending U.S. Congressional approval.
	July 29, 2010	IIPA supports Latin America Trade Coalition Letter to senior Congressional officials supporting the prompt consideration of the U.S.-Colombia and U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreements.
	May 22, 2007	IIPA files comments with the USITC on the Panama Trade Promotion Agreement.
	April 5, 2004	IIPA filed comments on the copyright and enforcement obligations which should be included in the FTA IPR chapter with Panama.
	May 22, 2007	IIPA files comments with the USITC on the Panama Trade Promotion Agreement.

	PERU FTA
	Negotiations with Peru and other Andean countries began in May 2004. On December 7, 2005, Peru and the U.S. concluded negotiations on an FTA. The U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement was signed on April 12, 2006. On June 25, 2007, the U.S. and Peru reached agreement on amendments to the TPA to reflect the bipartisan trade agreement between the Administration and Congressional leadership that was reached on May 10, 2007. President Bush signed the U.S. implementation legislation on December 14, 2007. Peru's completed its implementation work in early January 2009, and the TPA enters into force on February 1, 2009.
	March 28, 2006	IIPA shares its views on the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement with the USITC.

	SINGAPORE FTA
	The U.S. and Singapore signed the FTA on May 6, 2003, and President Bush signed the implementing legislation on September 3, 2003. The FTA entered into force on January 1, 2004.
	July 15, 2010	IIPA submitted comments to the USITC on effects of the FTAs with Chile, Australia, and Singapore.
	August 04, 2006	IIPA submits comments to the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) regarding its Public Consultation on Exemptions to Prohibition Against Circumvention of Technological Access Controls.
	February 13, 2005	IIPA Comments on Singapore FTA in the 2005 IIPA Special 301 Report
	April 24, 2003	IIPA President Eric Smith testifies before the U.S. International Trade Commission in support of Congressional adoption of the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.
	January 21, 2003	The U.S. copyright industries praise the conclusion of the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

	SOUTHERN AFRICAN CUSTOMS UNION (SACU)
	In November 2002, the U.S. announced the initiation of negotiations of a Free Trade Agreement with the five member countries of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU): Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland. However, after years of slow progress, the Bush Administration suspended negotiations for a SACU FTA in mid-April 2006, and launched a joint work program on trade and investment issues with these countries. In April 2009, the Obama Administration said it would not revive FTA talks and would instead focus on implementing separate agreements with each nation.
	October 13, 2005	IIPA files comments with the TPSC on the copyright and enforcement provisions in the AGOA trade legislation and on the SACU FTA IPR negotiations.
	September 17, 2004	IIPA files comments with the U.S. interagency on the copyright and enforcement provisions in the AGOA trade legislation and on the SACU FTA IPR negotiations.

	THAILAND FTA
	On February 12, 2004, USTR formally notified Congress of its intention to launch FTA negotiations with Thailand. Negotiations commenced in June 2004 and are expected to conclude in early 2006. Negotiations commenced in June 2004. Initial hopes indicated that the Administration hoped to conclude talks in early 2006, but negotiations have stalled.
	March 30, 2004	IIPA expresses concern over copyright piracy in Thailand on the occasion of the launch of the U.S.-Thailand Free Trade Agreement negotiations.
	March 19, 2004	IIPA requests to testify at the March 30 interagency hearing on the proposed U.S.-Thailand FTA.

	TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
	USTR announced on September 22, 2008 that the U.S. will launch negotiations to join the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership, a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) (also known as "the P4 Agreement") concluded by Brunei Darussalam, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore. In November 2009, the Obama Administration confirmed its interest in participating and moving forward on the TPP. Additional countries (like Australia, Peru and Vietnam) are considering joining these talks. USTR Kirk notified the U.S. Congress on December 14, 2009 of the Administration's interest in entering into these regional trade negotiations. The first meeting will be held in Australia in March 2010. Negotiations are ongoing.
	March 4, 2009	IIPA testifies in support of the initiation of negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement (TPP FTA) with Singapore, Chile, New Zealand, Brunei Darussalam, Australia, Peru and Vietnam.


	UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE) FTA
	Negotiations began in March 2005, but currently are inactive.
	January 5, 2005	IIPA files Notice of Intent to testify and Written Testimony on the proposed U.S.-United Arab Emirates FTA.