Narich Treaty on Intellectual Property Rights

The Narich Treaty on Intellectual Property Rights is part of the legal framework of the Commonwealth of Peoples. It commits all Commonwealth members to meet or exceed certain minimum standards of respect for intellectual property rights. The Treaty is enforced by the Commonwealth Secretariat for Internal Commerce.

Specifically, the Narich Treaty creates minimum standards that all member states laws must meet for: Copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, geographical indicators, industrial designs, patents, new plant and animal varieties, integrated circuit layout design, architectural design and confidential information. The Treaty also provides for enforcement and dispute resolution.

The Narich Treaty has been a source of tension between the Secretariat for Internal Commerce and the Commonwealth Health Organization. Since the signing of the Treaty, the Secretariat has interpretted it strictly while the CHO has pushed for a looser interpretation, insisting that the Treaty does not give private drug companies the right to overcharge for needed but patented medicines.