Secret Anti-Piracy Treaty Details Going Public

“Countries negotiating a major cross-border agreement to crack
down on intellectual property crimes have agreed to release
previously secret draft language of the controversial accord this
week.

“The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has
confirmed plans to publish the draft text of the
Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) this Wednesday,
following a series of successful negotiations in the eighth round
of talks on the agreement last week in New Zealand.

“USTR spokeswoman Nefterius McPherson said that the negotiating
countries are very close to a final deal, though differences remain
over the language concerning enforcement mechanisms for dealing
with trademark counterfeiting and copyright piracy.

“”The agreement can be concluded soon if other participants make
it a priority to achieve such progress now,” McPherson said in a
statement.”

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