Press Release: AFTI Urges Vice President Biden to Address India’s Damaging Trade Policies for American Businesses and Innovation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Jamie Hennigan (NAM)

202-637-3090| jhennigan@nam.org

Trinh Nguyen (GIPC)
202-463-5379 | tnguyen@uschamber.com

 

AFTI Urges Vice President Biden to Address India’s Damaging Trade Policies for American Businesses and Innovation

More than 40 Business Organizations Sign Letter Urging a Dialogue with India During his Trip to India This Week

 

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 22, 2013 –Today the Alliance for Fair Trade with India (AFTI), along with more than 40 business organizations, sent a letter to U.S. Vice President Joseph R. Biden urging him to address India’s unfair trade and intellectual property (IP) practices during his visit to India this week.

“In recent months, the business community has raised concerns around India’s clear shift in IP protection,” said Mark Elliot, a co-chair of AFTI and the executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center. “With the overwhelming support from Congress and critical U.S. industries, the vice president has a unique opportunity to show the administration’s commitment to protecting U.S. innovative and creative sectors by raising this important issue during his high-level meetings in India.”

Beginning on July 22, Vice President Biden will travel to India as both countries seek to further develop the U.S.-India strategic partnership. This trip follows recent high-level engagements by Secretary Kerry and Ambassador Froman with their Indian Government counterparts in which concerns around India’s recent unfair policies were discussed.  AFTI and more than 40 organizations are now asking Vice President Biden to translate that productive dialogue into concrete action and real results, including during an early Ministerial-level Trade Policy Forum.

“American businesses want to continue to invest in India, but not at the expense of American workers and economic progress,” said Linda Dempsey, a co-chair of AFTI and the National Association of Manufacturers Association (NAM) Vice President for International Economic Affairs. “We are encouraged that these concerns have been raised in dialogue between the United States and India and believe Vice President Biden’s involvement will help ensure both countries can develop an effective strategy for turning those concerns into solutions.”

In the letter, the organizations outlined how India is imposing regulations that restrict U.S. industries’ ability to compete against the country’s unfair advantage and have failed to respect internationally recognized intellectual property rights. The organizations noted that if these actions are allowed to continue without a response from the United States, other countries could emulate India’s self-defeating economic strategy.

 

Business organizations signing the letter include: The National Association of Manufacturers, U.S Chamber of Commerce, American Foundry Society, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, INDA, Association of the NonWoven Fabrics Industry, Biotechnology Industry Association, California Manufacturers & Technology Association, CropLife America, Motion Picture Association of America, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Recording Industry Association of America, Solar Energy Industries Association, and the Telecommunications Industry Association.