EU also seeking new ACTA
Following on from the announcement of the USA’s plans to pursue an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) with its trade partners, the European Commission has declared that it also hopes to negotiate a major new international anti-counterfeiting pact.
The European Commission will seek a mandate from European Member States to negotiate a new ACTA with major trading partners including the USA, Japan, Korea, Mexico and New Zealand, designed to strengthen efforts to protect European intellectual property around the world.
Commenting on the Commission’s plans, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said, "Europe has always been at the forefront of global attempts to protect intellectual property rights and fight counterfeiting. A new international anti-counterfeiting treaty will strengthen global co-operation and establish new international norms, helping to create a new global gold standard on IPR enforcement".
A new study released by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) in 2007 estimates that the annual value of international physical trade in counterfeited consumer goods $200 billion, an amount equivalent to 2% of world trade and higher than the GDP of 150 countries.
