U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has written to U.S. President Barack Obama to raise questions about the U.S. plans to implement the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement without Congressional approval.
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U.S. Senator Seeks Legal Review of ACTA
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has asked that the American Law Division of the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress undertake and provide to Congress an independent determination on the domestic impact of ACTA.
USTR Posts ACTA Responses
The USTR has posted responses to a series of ACTA questions posed by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden.
Legislators Worldwide Asking Questions About ACTA
Legislators around the world are demanding more information on the secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. French Deputy Nicolas Dupont-Aignan raised ACTA questions in the National Assembly late last year, expressing concerns about a global three-strikes and you're out approach, increased costs for medicines, and the lack of transparency associated with the process.
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden goes even further in a letter to the USTR this week that seeks answers to nearly a dozen questions about ACTA. Wyden asks about:
- possible constraints on domestic U.S. law reforms
- ensuring ACTA does not interfere with public health flexibilities in TRIPs
- the definition of counterfeit
- concerns about the inclusion of patents within ACTA
- the role of ISPs in ACTA
- whether increased monitoring of subscriber usage is envisioned by ACTA
- the privacy impact of ACTA
- details on border measures provisions
- third party liability for IP infringement
- possible commitments worldwide to comply with the DMCA
Wyden is not the first U.S. senator to raise questions about ACTA. Last year, Senators Bernie Sanders and Sherrod Brown also wrote to the USTR as did Senators Pat Leahy and Arlen Specter in 2008.