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Business Associations Band Together in Support of ACTA
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Business Response Group Submits Memo on Strengthening the Agreement
New York, NY -- International Trademark Association and the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) welcome the release of the final text of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), and, in partnership with the Business Response Group (BRG), call on negotiating parties to take the necessary steps to finalize ACTA and begin its implementation. The BRG, which consists of 18 associations from around the world that publicly support ACTA, also provided negotiators with recommendations on how to further strengthen the trade agreement.
The group’s submission applauds the efforts and dedication of all negotiating parties in bringing ACTA to the final stages of the drafting process, particularly with the provisions that provide for ex officio authority for competent officials to initiate investigation or legal action on criminal enforcement and the application of border measures to goods of a commercial nature sent in small consignments.
The memo also calls for improvements in several areas in ACTA that the BRG urges negotiators to consider. These include:
- incorporating trademark counterfeiting in Enforcement in the Digital Environment, so that ACTA parties can apply enforcement procedures on trademark counterfeiting on the Internet;
- reiterating the need for stronger language on goods in transit in the border measures in ACTA; and
- encouraging the establishment of mechanisms to build capacity and enforcement expertise in the implementation of ACTA.
“We congratulate the ACTA negotiators for the progress they have made and for releasing the final text of the trade agreement,” said Alan C. Drewsen, Executive Director of INTA. “Through ACTA, we hope that signatories will strengthen their respective country’s enforcement, legislative and cooperative framework to more effectively combat trademark counterfeiting and copyright piracy.”
ACTA, an agreement that builds up existing international rules, would strengthen intellectual property protection against counterfeiting and piracy in a coordinated way. Governments around the world are taking steps to address counterfeiting and piracy, which are global problems that have significant negative impacts on economies, public health and safety, and legitimate businesses around the world. ACTA would complement, strengthen and harmonize these existing measures.
“ACTA is an important step in addressing the global nature of counterfeiting and piracy and has tremendous potential to leverage ongoing government efforts to promote better legislation, upgrade enforcement measures and allocate resources in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy. We are hopeful that the negotiators can now move quickly toward implementing the agreement,” said Jeffrey Hardy, coordinator of ICC’s BASCAP initiative.
About INTA
The International Trademark Association (INTA) is a worldwide association of member companies and firms that support and advance trademarks and intellectual property as elements of fair and effective global commerce.
About ICC BASCAP
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is the voice of world business, championing the global economy as a force for economic growth, job creation and prosperity. The drain on businesses and the global economy from counterfeit goods and piracy is of great concern to ICC member companies worldwide. Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) is an ICC initiative that unites the global business community across all product sectors to address issues associated with intellectual property (IP) theft and to petition for greater commitments by local, national and international officials in the enforcement and protection of IP rights. For more information, visit www.iccwbo.org/bascap.
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