USTR Provides Update On ACTA Talks
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Thursday released an update on the latest round of negotiations on a trade agreement aimed at curbing counterfeiting and piracy, saying negotiators made progress on building consensus related to enforcement measures in the "digital environment" and other issues.
The ninth round of negotiations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement began on Monday and ended Thursday in Geneva. The next meeting will take place in the United States, though USTR did not give a date.
In addition to work on the Internet section, USTR said the negotiators also made progress on such areas as general obligations, civil enforcement, border measures, criminal enforcement, and international cooperation. USTR also said "discussions on the scope of intellectual property rights covered in ACTA provided an improved understanding of the respective views on that issue."
The statement also tried to debunk some concerns raised about the draft agreement. "While ACTA aims at establishing effective enforcement standards for existing intellectual property rights, it is not intended to include new intellectual property rights or to enlarge or diminish existing intellectual property rights," the statement said.
USTR also said ACTA would be consistent with the World Trade Organization's Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement and also would not allow border officials to search traveler's baggage or personal electronic devices for infringing materials.
Sean Flynn, associate director of American University law school's Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property, posted a summary of a meeting some ACTA negotiators held with representatives from civil society groups on Monday in Geneva. Many of these groups outlined their concerns last week with a draft of the agreement released in April.
"There seemed to be little desire to remove or narrow considerably the Internet chapter. There was a desire by some delegates to ensure that DMCA-like protections are in the ACTA Internet chapter," the post said, referring to provisions in the U.S. law the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. That law includes a provision providing Internet firms with protection from liability if they agree to move quickly to remove pirated content from their networks or Web sites when informed about its existence.
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