The U.S. Trade Representative has issued a public consultation on the negotiation of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. The consultation, which runs until March 21, 2008, notes that comments should focus on international cooperation, enforcement practices, or the development of new legal framworks. Australia has similarly consulted on its potential involvement […]
Cooperation in the Pacific Rim by Jakob Polacsek, World Economic Forum (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) https://www.flickr.com/photos/worldeconomicforum/48179628441
Digital Trade
Canadian Copyright Bill “Weeks Away”
Dierdre McMurdy of the Ottawa Citizen confirms widespread speculation that a copyright bill is only a few weeks away. The article notes the strong link between the bill and U.S. pressure with reports of meetings between U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins and both Industry Minister Jim Prentice and Canadian […]
Ask First, ACTA Later
Kim Weatherall notes that the Australian government has launched a public consultation on its possible involvement in the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiations. Unlike the Canadian government, which jumped at the chance to join the U.S. in the negotiations with no advance warning and no public discussion, the Australians are taking […]
Is ACTA the New WIPO?
It has been readily apparent for a number of months now that "counterfeiting and piracy" is the new focal point for intellectual property policy reform. With global conferences, legislative hearings in national capitals, and new anti-counterfeiting coalitions, copyright lobby groups have jumped on the anti-counterfeiting bandwagon. While the claims regularly […]
No IP in Canada’s Latest Free Trade Agreement
Digital Copyright picks up on Canada's latest free trade agreement with the EFTA countries. In sharp contrast to the U.S. approach, a Foreign Affairs release advises that the agreement will not include substantial new obligations on intellectual property.
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