[Ecommerce] FromGeneva: US delegation opposes consumer groups' inclusion on WIPO ACE panels

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

http://fromgeneva.blogspot.com/2006/05/us-delegation-opposes-consumer-groups.html


      US delegation opposes consumer groups' inclusion on WIPO ACE panels

17 May 2006
Thiru Balasubramaniam

As mentioned in my earlier blog entry, WIPO hosts enforcement beauty
contest (aka Advisory Committtee on Enforcement)
<http://fromgeneva.blogspot.com/2006/05/wipo-hosts-enforcement-beauty-contest.html>,
the WIPO Advisory Committee on Enforcement (ACE) is taking place from
15-17 May 2006. The first two days saw 15 presentations, 13 made by WIPO
Member States Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Brazil China, Lebanon,
Malaysia, Nigeria, Romania, Serbia & Montenegro, South Africa, Spain,
Sri Lanka and Switzerland and 2 presentations from industry group NGOs,
the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the International
Federation of Phonogram and Videogram Producers (IFPI). The delegate
from INTA is Ms. Toe Su Aung the General Counsel for the BATMark
(British American Tobacco's IP management company).

Yesterday, the delegate from Third World Network made a pointed
intervention to the Committee which noted the absence of any consumer
voices on the WIPO ACE panels. Today in its intervention, Brazil called
for the consumer voice to be taken into consideration at these
deliberations and requested that consumer organizations be represented
in the WIPO ACE panels. The delegate (Paul Salmon) from the United
States, however, opposed the inclusion of consumer groups on panels on
the Advisory Committee on Enforcement as he noted that consumer groups
did NOT fall into the mandate of the ACE which only mentions
consultations with the private industry. Argentina took the floor to
call for greater public interest NGO participation in this body; Brazil
also reiterated its point that all stakeholder views be taken into
consideration in the WIPO ACE.