(Reuters – Doug Palmer)
An international pact to fight global trade in counterfeit and pirated goods moved closer to reality on Wednesday when countries participating in the talks released the final draft of the proposed deal.
“This text reflects tremendous progress in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy – a global crime wave that robs workers in the United States and around the world of good-paying jobs and exposes consumers to dangerous products,” U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said in a statement.
China, the source of much of world’s counterfeit goods production, was not a party to the talks.
Kirk called on the nearly 40 participating countries to quickly finalize the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) after reaching a tentative deal last week in Tokyo. “The leadership shown by our ACTA partners in reaching solutions on tough issues should send a strong message to pirates and counterfeiters that they have no place in the channels of legitimate trade,” Kirk said. Read more here.
