US Trade Rep Releases Text Of Global Anti-counterfeiting Agreement

Washington, DC (Top40 Charts/ RIAA) - The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) today released the full text of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) following the final round of negotiations among ACTA parties earlier this week. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)'s Neil Turkewitz, Executive Vice President, International, offered the following comments on the report.

'While ACTA does not provide all of the answers about how governments will move forward to tackle online piracy, it is a very important multilateral statement concerning the importance of finding solutions to online theft. It may not be a precise roadmap, but it is a powerful expression of a common vision and unity of purpose.

'We applaud the U.S. government and the other ACTA negotiating parties for having reached a milestone in their negotiations to produce an agreement that will enhance the global protection of intellectual property. We urge the parties to finalize an agreement as quickly as possible. The global theft of music, both physical and online, undermines creativity, cultural diversity and economic development, and strengthening the international response to these problems must be a priority.

'We are particularly pleased by the commitment by ACTA parties to take effective enforcement against all forms of piracy, including on the Internet. It is estimated that as much as 95 percent of global Internet traffic in music is illegal, and more forcefully addressing this is a global imperative for creative communities regardless of nationality. We welcome the fact that ACTA parties explicitly note the importance of promoting cooperation between Internet service providers and rights holders with respect to online copyright theft, and make clear that the enforcement provisions of the treaty apply equally to the digital environment.

'The ACTA text requires a result from all its signatories - more effective anti-piracy measures that both provide for expeditious remedies and sufficient deterrence. The agreement provides for certain flexibilities in how governments can achieve this commitment. The implementation and execution of the treaty will be essential. We look forward to working with governments to turn this agreed-upon vision into a reality.'