ACTA

~~SOPA~~ ~~PIPA~~ ACTA

Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

by JD Nutt, IG Web-Editor

Report last updated on January 27th, 2012 - Oklahoma City, OK.

Last week the US House of Representatives and the US Senate backed off their SOPA, (Stop on-line Piracy Act), and PIPA, (Protect Intellectual Property Act) legislation. However what was left intact is ACTA, an international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.

The United States and seven other countries signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) at a ceremony in Tokyo, Japan during the month of October 2011.

ACTA is consistent with existing U.S. law and does not require the enactment of implementing legislation. The United States may therefore enter into and carry out the requirements of the Agreement under existing legal authority, just as it has done with other trade agreements, such as the 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

The ACTA Agreement was inspired by Japan’s proposal to create a new international framework against counterfeit and pirated products.

In 2006, Japan and the United States jointly reached out to other partners to develop the idea of a new multi-lateral agreement to help in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy, leading to an announcement of the initiative in October 2007.

At the Office of the United States Trade Representative website, The following can be found...

Between 10 and 20 million American jobs depend on intellectual property rights, according to studies and industry estimates. The ACTA aims to strengthen enforcement of those rights around the world, providing greater protection for U.S. exporters in innovative and creative industries.

All eleven ACTA negotiating parties attended the ceremony. Representatives of Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United States signed the Agreement. Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Miriam Sapiro signed on behalf of the United States. Representatives of the European Union, Mexico, and Switzerland attended and confirmed their continuing support for the Agreement as they complete their domestic procedures to enable them to sign.

• A USTR fact sheet on the ACTA can be found here.

• The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative also released its views on key aspects of the Agreement. That document can be found here.

• All of the ACTA negotiating parties released a joint statement marking the signing. That statement can be found here.

ACTA opened for signature on May 1, 2011. The Government of Japan is Depositary of the Agreement, and parties who have not yet signed may submit their signatures to Japan. For those who have already signed, the next step in bringing the ACTA into force is the deposit of instruments of ratification, acceptance, or approval. The agreement will enter into force following the deposit of the sixth such instrument.

Report Source(s):

http://www.ustr.gov/

http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/press-releases/2011/october/partners-sign-groundbreaking-anti-counterfeiting-t

http://www.stopacta.info/helpstopacta