Labor, IP issues raised at AGOA eligibility hearing

Industry and labor groups on Thursday took issue with a South African copyright law and Mauritania’s labor practices at a hearing the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative held to review countries’ eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act. AGOA provides preferential market access for sub-Saharan African countries that meet certain conditions. Kevin Rosenbaum, testifying on behalf of the International Intellectual Property Alliance, told the panel that South Africa’s 2017 Copyright Amendment Bill was non-compliant with AGOA. “As drafted,...