Intellectual property must be a North Star in Trump’s trade deals
The last article of the U.S.-United Kingdom trade deal raises the important issue of intellectual property.
It’s admittedly a placeholder. The obligations will have to be worked out later. But if there’s serious intent behind it, this aspiration should inform the template for Trump’s upcoming bilateral negotiations.
In Trump’s America First Trade Policy memo from February, he called for a study to identify “any unfair trade practices by other countries and recommend appropriate actions to remedy such practices.” He has two that do this: the 2025 National Trade Estimate Report and the 2025 Special 301 Report.
The latter document, which lost its voice during the Biden administration, is back. It’s once again touting the fact that intellectual property directly or indirectly accounts for 63 million high-paying jobs and 41 percent of U.S. GDP. And it “names and shames” countries that don’t sufficiently protect and enforce........
© The Hill
