USTR Revives Focus On ACTA; Talks Set For July

The Office of the United States Trade Representative on Friday said it had reviewed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) under negotiation and has decided to move ahead on the treaty. Negotiating countries will meet in Morocco in July, and the targeted completion is still 2010.

USTR attempted to address sharp criticism from public interest advocates concerned about the lack of transparency in the negotiations, and possible negative impact on non-industry stakeholders.

“In keeping with President Obama’s transparency goals, USTR will continue its efforts to ensure that the public is well-informed about the negotiations,” it said. “In addition to the April 6 release of a detailed summary of issues under negotiation, USTR has established a dedicated ACTA page on the USTR website. Also, USTR will maintain our ‘open-door’ policy toward all stakeholders, and will hold ‘town hall’ meetings to engage with members of the public.”

The Obama administration has been conducting an overall review of current and pending trade agreements, including the ACTA, USTR said, adding that it concluded ACTA remains an important part of the US trade agenda. Some pro-trade representatives reacted with the hope that the announcement would signal the administration’s return to prioritising trade.

“The ACTA negotiations provide an opportunity to toughen international standards for the enforcement of intellectual property rights, making it harder for counterfeit and pirated products to enter our country, and making the world safer for the innovation and creativity that are so critical to the US economy” Kirk said in a statement. “As we proceed with these negotiations, we will ensure that the public is kept well informed and has further opportunities to give input.”

The goal of the ACTA, USTR said, is to increase international cooperation, strengthen the framework of practices that contribute to effective enforcement, and strengthen relevant IPR enforcement measures themselves.

Negotiating countries include:Australia, Canada, the European Union and its 27 member states, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Switzerland. Recently some negotiating differences have begun to emerge between the countries.