Agreement in Sight for Anti-Counterfeit Pact

(IP Review Online)

Negotiations are nearing completion on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which is set to have far-reaching implications for the global intellectual property landscape. Following the latest round of talks – held in Seoul earlier this month – the participating countries will meet in Mexico in the New Year in line with their aim of finalising the agreement text in the early part of 2010.

Countries that attended the sixth round of negotiations, hosted by the Republic of Korea, included Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico, Singapore and the US. The European Union, meanwhile, was represented by delegates from the European Commission, the EU Presidency – currently held by Sweden – and several EU Member States. The nations reaffirmed their efforts to develop a powerful treaty under international law for enforcing the protection of IP Rights.

According to United States trade representative Ron Kirk, the talks ‘focused on enforcement of rights in the digital environment and criminal enforcement’. While negotiations have so far been conducted on a confidential basis, Kirk hinted that more information about the direction of the talks is forthcoming. ‘Participants … discussed the importance of transparency,’ he added, ‘including the availability of opportunities for stakeholders and the public in general to provide meaningful input into the negotiating process.’ Read more here.