INDO-US
PROTOCOL ON KNOWLEDGE-BASED We, the businesses of the two nations–India and the United States of America–recognise the following extraordinary developments that have arisen in the relations between our two great nations.
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The initiative will center on seven substantive areas:
E-commerce regulation and taxation, or e-commerce narrowly defined:
This concerns all of the regulatory and taxation issues related to
expanded international trade through economic media. Key issues include
access, privacy, encryption, copyright protection, liability, bandwidth,
and technical standards. |
Trade in
services and market access: This embraces all issues connected to
cross-border market access for companies producing, buying, and selling
knowledge. The concept of services is broad and includes a diverse array
of activities, such as broadcasting, construction, consulting, design,
energy, engineering, entertainment, financial services, insurance, law,
management, medicine, research and development, space science, software
development, tourism and travel. |
Intellectual property: The protection of intellectual property is
the sine qua non of knowledge-industry development. The Indo-U.S.
E-commerce Initiative will build upon incipient bilateral cooperation
designed to strengthen India's ability to protect intellectual capital
developed in the home market and to improve the attractiveness of India as
a host for multinational corporations' research and development
facilities. |
Movement
of natural persons: While much of what is traded in the knowledge economy
is easily and rapidly transmitted, global trade in knowledge industries
requires increased movement of people. Business mobility is critical for
the creation of a truly global market in knowledge production and
application. |
Bridging
the Digital Divide: The benefits of knowledge trade must be available to
all citizens. A deepening digital divide is a genuine threat to the
prosperity of all and we must work actively to encourage and support
creative applications of information technology and the innovations of
knowledge-based industries to improve opportunities for all
citizens. |
Financial sector reform: The financial marketplace must be refined
to increase the mobilization of funds for investment in knowledge based
industries. Joint listing on Indian and American equity markets and
pursuing ADR’s and Indian equivalents will be examined. We will pursue
ways to deepen and strengthen the venture capital presence in India.
Corporate governance issues will also be
examined. |
Information Infrastructure: We will focus on the "hard infrastructure" of the telecommunications sector, the foundation without which all progress will be meaningless. Topics will include, but not be limited to, bandwidth, teledensity and rural access, licensing for telecommunications service (basic, cellular, long-distance), and convergence. |
The Bilateral Working Group would be amplified by seven Policy Subgroups, i.e., one for each of the prime areas of investigation identified above. These Policy Subgroups will be supported by the USIBC and FICCI, who will invite and coordinate the participation of the relevant national industry and professional associations, industry and private experts. The Knowledge Trade Initiative will build upon the on-going work conducted under the auspices of the USIBC, based in Washington and San Francisco, and FICCI, based in New Delhi.
The principal tangible outcome of the Knowledge Trade Initiative will be the publication of a substantial report, in both paper and electronic formats. Seminars will be organized in both countries to disseminate the principal findings. The final report will have at least the following contents:
October: Recruitment of Bilateral Working Groups; Call for papers; Solicitation of Expert Testimony
November Preliminary Meetings of Bilateral Working Group and sub-groups via conference call; Definition of issues, working agenda, external participants
Jan. 15-19, 2001 First meeting of Bilateral Working Group Expert-level consultations with Indian officials in New Delhi January-June Organization of expert panels, conference calls, subgroup seminars in India and the United States June 19-20 Second face-to-face Meeting of Bilateral Working Group in Washington D.C. Expert level consultation with American officials June-August Preparation of Final Report by FICCI/USIBC secretariat based on minutes of hearings and proceedings, expert testimony, commentary
August Draft Report posted on Internet and disseminated in paper format for comment September Final Revisions and Publication of Final Report; Seminars and press events organized in U.S. and India to disseminate findings and recommendations
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