This briefing paper by Human Rights Watch begins by giving an outline of the WTO's Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Agreement (TRIPS) and of the Doha declaration by WTO members, which states that countries can bypass patents in medical emergencies. The paper argues that countries in the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) should resist pressure from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to adopt a TRIPS-plus patent regime that increases patent rights of pharmaceutical companies. They state that this undermines the Doha Declaration and constrains developing countries' efforts to promote the health and human rights of their citizens.