IP Watch reports on this week’s European public consultation on ACTA. European officials confirmed that ACTA is a response to the difficulty of promoting an IP enforcement agenda at the WTO and WIPO. The officials also highlighted some substantive divisions between the negotiating partners. Two in particular jump out – first, the U.S. is seeking anti-camcording legislation similar to the one passed in Canada in 2007, however, there is some opposition to the proposal in Europe. Second, Europe would like an expansive view of intellectual property, to include both patents and geographic indications within ACTA’s ambit. At the Canadian ACTA consultation earlier this month, Canadian officials made it clear that they would like to limit ACTA to copyright and trademark.
European officials also supported the potential participation of additional countries within the negotiations. I recently argued that developing countries should seize that open invitation to ensure that ACTA better reflects their interests and a more global perspective on IP enforcement.
Tags: A.C.T.A., Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement, Michael Geist