PUNTA DEL ESTE URUGUAY Reuters: The United States has rejected a European community (EC) plan to strike a deal with some developing nations over global trading rules on services and piracy U.S. officials said today.
The United States is demanding that trade ministers meeting here under the auspices of the general agreement on tariffs and trade (GATT) agree to bring copyrights trademarks and patents and trade in services under global trading rules.
But many developing nations including a 10member group led by India and Brazil militantly oppose such a move as do some Asian nations which are the site of much counterfeiting.
The officials said the EC proposed a compromise at recent pre GATT bargaining sessions but U.S trade representative Clayton Yeutter rejected it as a dubious strategy at best.
Yeutter has threatened to walk out of the GATT meeting if it does not agree to subject trade in such services as banking and trade in items ranging from Bogus designer jeans to counterfeit computer software.
US officials said the EC has suggested the United States relax fits stance on services and intellectual property to win over developing nations and reach consensus at the GATT talks they gave no details.
Trade sources said the EC had proposed limited protection on intellectual property rights and suggested that services be dealt with as a parallel issue outside GATT not subject to all rules of the 92nation trading body.
Some developing nations fear that bringing services under GATT rules would pave the way for big western multinational firms to take business away from their own fledging companies.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 19, 1986
