# Plain Language Summary: No Free TRIPS Act

This bill prevents the President from making changes to an international agreement about intellectual property rights without getting permission from Congress first. The agreement in question is called TRIPS (the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights), which is a worldwide trade deal that sets rules about patents, copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property. Right now, the President has some flexibility to negotiate changes to international trade agreements on their own, but this bill would require them to come to Congress and get explicit approval before even starting negotiations to withdraw from, suspend, modify, or waive any part of the TRIPS agreement.

The practical effect is that it shifts power over this particular trade agreement from the President to Congress. If, for example, there were a global push to waive patent protections on certain medicines to make them more affordable in developing countries, the President couldn't negotiate that change without Congress saying it's okay first. This applies to any kind of modification—whether that's the U.S. pulling out entirely, temporarily suspending parts of it, getting an exception to the rules, or changing how the agreement works.

For everyday people, this matters because intellectual property rules affect things like drug prices, software costs, and how quickly new technologies become available. The bill essentially locks in the current TRIPS agreement unless Congress actively votes to allow the President to change it. Supporters argue this protects American innovation and business interests by preventing the President from making unilateral deals that could weaken patent and copyright protections. Critics might worry it makes it harder to adapt international rules when circumstances change or when there are humanitarian reasons to modify them.

No Free TRIPS Act

Issa, Darrell

No Free TRIPS Act This bill prohibits the U.S. government from negotiating or concluding any withdrawal from or modification to the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) without explicit authorization from Congress. The TRIPS Agreement is one of several international agreements that led to the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO). In October 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several WTO members proposed a waiver of some TRIPS obligations, including obligations related to national patent laws.