On March 3, 2008, the International Trademark Association (INTA) joined the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in calling for concrete action toward the completion of a new trade agreement, focused specifically on stopping the trade in counterfeit goods.
The proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) would provide stronger international coordination, agreement on the best enforcement practices, and align legal provisions to ensure that adequate criminal, civil and border protection measures are in place.
“Expectations for ACTA are high. This proposed agreement has the potential to deliver significant improvements in establishing stronger international guidelines and standards, and providing governments with clear directives for action,” said INTA Executive Director Alan C Drewsen.
The two business organizations are calling for negotiations on the new anti-counterfeiting agreement to begin as soon as possible.
“The governments that so far have agreed to engage in negotiating the new agreement have made a commitment to complete the process, and we urge them to get started without further delay,” said Bob Wright, Co-Chairman of the ICC’s Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) initiative, and Vice Chairman and Executive Officer of General Electric. “We recognize the work involved in completing an agreement of this magnitude, and we stand ready to work with the governments involved to move the agreement forward.”
To help facilitate the treaty’s path to implementation, INTA and ICC’s BASCAP have developed a paper summarizing their support for the agreement and their views on the most important provisions to be included in ACTA. The two groups plan to send the paper to the leaders of the governments that to date are supporting the negotiation of ACTA, urging them to keep the process moving forward.
INTA and the ICC endorse a framework for a multilateral treaty that includes setting high standards for measures to combat counterfeiting, improving coordination of national and international enforcement efforts, increasing the powers of customs officials to disrupt the flow of counterfeit goods through Free Trade Zones, working with business to address the growing problem of counterfeit goods sales on the Internet, and treating international trade in counterfeit goods as a trans-national crime which often involves organized criminal syndicates that take advantage of jurisdictional differences.
Su Ky
Vietnamese
