The Dutch Ministers of Justice and Economic Affairs have renewed their call for ACTA transparency, expressing disappointment in the recent decision not to release the latest text (which leaked days later).
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
KEI on ACTA’s “Other Remedies”
KEI has an excellent post that examines how ACTA Article 2.3 on “Other Remedies” may conflict with the laws of several European countries.
Why Parma Ham May Stand in the Way of ACTA and CETA
Geographical indications (GI) are signs used on goods – frequently food, wine, or spirits – that have a specific geographical origin and are said to possess qualities, reputation or characteristics that are essentially attributable to that place of origin. Given the quality associated with the product, proponents of GI protection argue that it is needed to avoid consumer confusion as well as to protect legitimate producers.
EU Article 29 Working Party Expresses Concern About ACTA and Privacy
The EU Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, which included ACTA on its agenda as part of its meetings last week, has written to Commissioner Karel de Gucht to express concern about the privacy implications of ACTA. The Working Party is particularly concerned with notice-and-takedown procedures, customs searches, and criminalization.
U.S. Caves on Anti-Circumvention Rules in ACTA
Before examining the changes, it should be noted that there remain doubts about whether this chapter even belongs in ACTA. Both Canada and Mexico have reserved the right to revisit all elements of this chapter at a later date, suggesting that both countries have concerns about the digital enforcement chapter. Moreover, there are still disputes over the scope of the Internet chapter, with the U.S., Australia, NZ, Canada, Singapore and Mexico seeking to limit the chapter to trademark and copyright, while Japan, the EU, and Switzerland want to extend it to all IP rights. Without resolving this issue, there is no digital enforcement in ACTA.
The Anti-Circumention Provision
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