Responding
to requests from India to liberalize a number of services for
Indian Service providers
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce sent a circular on 3rd May 2006
to its membership and all affiliated associations and business
councils giving out the list of services sectors that India
had requested Sri Lanka to liberalise for Indian service providers.
The Chamber offered the assistance of CCC Trade Cell for Sri
Lankan service providers to create a meaningful dialogue between
the service providers and the Government by providing information,
advise and an opportunity to meet with the Government delegation
to express their views. The CCC Trade Cell received responses
from 29 companies covering 10 sectors.
The CCC Trade Cell has already had two successful sectoral meetings
with the service providers and the Government on Tourism and
Travel Related services and Maritime Transport Services.
There are three more sector meetings are scheduled on Computer
and related services, Construction services (covering engineering
and architectural services as well) and Insurance services.
Since the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce finds it difficult to organize
meetings between all companies representing a particular sector,
the meetings are held between the respective services sector
association representatives and the Government officials. The
minutes of the meetings are circulated to the respective associations
and the Trade Cell expects the associations to circulate these
to their membership.
GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS (GIs) FOR CEYLON TEA, CEYLON
CINNAMON AND CEYLON SAPPHIRE
Branding Ceylon Tea, Cinnamon and Sapphire as GIs would assist
these products to obtain a premium price in the international
market and take legal action against those who try to sell products
originating in other countries as Sri Lankan products.
Sri Lanka is party to the Intellectual Property Agreement of
the WTO and could register products originating in the country,
which has characteristics that can be attributable to the geographical
location of the country as GIs.
In order to protect our GIs in the international market, we
should have initially given legal protection for these in the
domestic market through domestic legislation. There were concerns
about the weaknesses in the existing IPR act of Sri Lanka and
the industry was not clear on how to proceed with getting meaningful
protection for their products. Although initially these three
products have been identified, it is felt that there may be
many other products that could be protected under the GI law.
The Industry Expert Group on Trade in Goods felt that it would
be beneficial to the industry to know the findings and recommendations
of the study initiated by the Intellectual Property Office of
Sri Lanka with the assistance of WIPO. Accordingly the Trade
Cell organized a successful meeting with all stakeholders including
all relevant Government Organisations on GIs and the consultants
from IPS who were conducing the study made a presentation.
Once the final report of the study is released the CCC Trade
Cell plans to work with the Industry, the Intellectual Property
Office and other Government Agencies to see how this could be
taken forward. |
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