[Ip-health] Stan McCoy on ACTA in Financial Times

[peter maybarduk]

--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
USTR's Stanford McCoy published this letter in the Financial Times
this week.  -peter

Piracy campaign is far from secret

Published: February 4 2010 02:00 | Last updated: February 4 2010 02:00

 From Mr Stanford McCoy.

Sir, The article =93Secret deal aims to scuttle internet
pirates=94 (January 29) missed the point of ongoing negotiations
towards an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).

Intellectual property protection is critical to jobs and exports that
depend on innovation and creativity. Trade in counterfeit and pirated
products undermines those jobs and exports, exposes consumers to
dangerous knock-offs from toothpaste to car parts, and helps fund
organised crime.

The ACTA negotiations are one of many international efforts to fight
counterfeiting and piracy =96 not to =93transform=94 already strong US and
European Union copyright laws. Far from keeping them secret,
governments participating in these negotiations have sought public
comments, released a summary of issues under discussion, and enhanced
public engagement.

Among other things, the summary states clearly that =93ACTA is not
intended to interfere with a signatory=92s ability to respect its
citizens' fundamental rights and civil liberties=94.

The office of the US trade representative has posted ACTA information
online at www.ustr.gov/acta. The site includes meeting agendas and
links to help the public understand the US approach to key
provisions, which is consistent with US law. Other partners have made
their own information available about this important work to protect
consumers and intellectual property worldwide.

Stanford McCoy,
Assistant United States Trade Representative for Intellectual
Property and Innovation