E-commerce turns deal breaker at WTO meet

NEW DELHI: WTO member nations failed to agree to any meaningful outcome at the second ministerial meeting in Africa, including their inability to extend the 28-year moratorium on e-commerce, opening the doors for possible tariffs on digital downloads and streaming services.

It also resulted in a public health concern as the freeze on “non-violation complaints” (NVCs) under the TRIPS Agreement also expired for the first time since 1995.