ACTA – Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

Bei Wikileaks findet sich eine möglicherweise echte Version des aktuellen Standes von ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement), einem multilateralen Abkommen zum Schutz von Geistigen Monopolrechten (US ACTA multi-lateral intellectual property trade agreement)

In 2007 a select handful of the wealthiest countries began a treaty-making process to create a new global standard for intellectual property rights enforcement, which was called, in a piece of brilliant marketing, the „Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement“ (the agreement does not cover currency fraud).

ACTA is spearheaded by the United States along with the European Commission, Japan, and Switzerland — which have large intellectual property industries. Other countries invited to participate in ACTA’s negotiation process are Canada, Australia, Korea, Mexico and New Zealand. Noticeably absent from ACTA’s negotiations are leaders from developing countries who hold national policy priorities that differ from the international intellectual property industry.

Mehr Hintergrund zu den internationalen Verhandlungen bietet die US-NGO IP-Justice:

* IP Justice White Paper on Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) (25 March 2008)

* IP Justice Comments to USTR „ACTA’s Misguided Effort to Increase Govt. Spying and Ratchet-Up IPR Enforcement at Public Expense (21 March 2008)

* Join the mailing list for discussion of ACTA

Bei Wikipedia findet sich übrigens noch kein Artikel zu dem Abkommen, für den Fall, dass jemand mal Lust und Zeit hat…