Agreement Reached in Anti-Counterfeiting Talks

[Elmore Furth]

Source: Reuters

By REUTERS
Published: October 2, 2010

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nearly 40 nations on Saturday reached basic agreement in international trade talks aimed at reducing copyright and trademark theft that causes losses of billions of dollars annually.

One of the key features of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) will mandate that customs officials have "ex officio" authority to seize counterfeit goods without a request from the rights holders or a court order, according to statements from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

Future topics include trying to expand the number of ACTA participants to include China, source of a large amount of the world's pirated goods, as well as the rest of Asia and other regions, such as the Middle East.

But no specific reference was made to coverage of European place names, such as Parma or Roquefort, as the 27 nations of the European Union had called for.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/10/02/world/international-us-trade-counterfeiting.html?ref=world

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This meeting excluded China where a large amount of alleged counterfeiting is thought to take place.

This is Japan, the EU and the US getting their side's negotiating posture in place, apparently.

China already has laws on the books regarding this but just doesn't enforce them.

[onehandle]

1. China will never enforce their 'laws.' Their pirate operations weaken us.

All according to plan.