New NAFTA Includes IP Provision

Written October 2, 2018

On October 1, 2018, the Office of the United States Trade Representative announced that the United States, Mexico, and Canada reached an agreement to “modernize the 24-year-old NAFTA into a 21st century, high-standard agreement,” adding a new Intellectual Property chapter which intends to provide “strong and effective protection and enforcement of IP rights.”

Key highlights of the new IP chapter include robust protections for US innovators and creators, a comprehensive enforcement provision, and stronger standards of protection for trade secrets.