Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)

Negotiating parties have agreed to release the draft Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiating text. This text is not a final agreement, and contains square-bracketed sections to identify text on which negotiating parties have not reached consensus.

• Draft Negotiating Text - HTML | PDF * (235kb 39 pages)
• News Release - April 22, 2010

Background

In October 2007, the Government of Canada announced that it would participate in discussions towards an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). The objective of the ACTA would be to put in place international standards for enforcing intellectual property rights in order to fight more efficiently the growing problems of counterfeiting and piracy. The proposed agreement will cover three areas: improving international cooperation, establishing best practices for enforcement, and providing a more effective legal framework. ACTA negotiating partners, a group which includes along with Canada, Australia, the European Union and its member countries, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United States, aim to conclude the agreement in 2010.

• Joint Statement: ACTA 10^th Round, Washington D.C - August 20, 2010
• ACTA 10^th Round Agenda
• Joint Statement: ACTA 9^th Round, Lucerne, Switzerland - July 2, 2010
• ACTA 9^th Round Tentative Agenda
• Joint Statement: ACTA 8th Round, Wellington NZ - April 16, 2010
• ACTA 8^th Round Proposed Agenda for Public Release 
• Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement - Fact Sheet - April 1, 2010
• ACTA 7^th Round of ACTA Negotiations, Guadalajara, Mexico, January 26 to 29, 2010  
• ACTA 7^th Round Tentative Agenda  
• ACTA 6^th Round of ACTA negotiations in Seoul, Korea; November 4 to 6, 2009
• ACTA 6^th Round Tentative Agenda for Public Release
• ACTA 5^th Round of negotiation - Rabat, July the 16-17th 2009
• Consultation on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement and Issues Related to Pharmaceuticals and Counterfeit Medicines - Summary of Discussions - June 30, 2009
• Joint Statement: Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement - June 12, 2009
• Submissions related to the ACTA received during online consultations 
• Roundtable Public Consultations on ACTA (April 6, 2009) - Summary of Discussions
• Roundtable Public Consultations on ACTA (April 6, 2009) - Presentation (html | pdf 585 KB)
• ACTA: Summary of Key Elements Under Discussion - November 6, 2009
• December 15-17, 2008 - Meeting in Paris, France - December 18, 2008
• October 8-9 2008 - Meeting in Tokyo, Japan - October 24, 2008
• July 29-31 2008 - Meeting in Washington, D.C. - August 1, 2008
• Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) FAQs - June 6, 2008
• The Government of Canada is seeking the views of Canadians on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)

The emphasis on innovation as a measure of global competitiveness as well as the growth in participation of the Canadian economy in global trade have made the international dimension of intellectual property policy increasingly important. There are numerous well established international conventions specifically relating to the protection of intellectual property rights, some dating back over a century. These conventions are administered through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) brought some of the well established intellectual property obligations found in WIPO administered conventions into a trade context. International Trade Canada works closely with other departments in decision making related to trade policy and intellectual property in order to support Canadian interests.

Related Links

Canada

• Canadian Intellectual Property Office
• Industry Canada's Intellectual Property Policy Information Page
• Canadian Heritage - Copyright Policy

Regional and International

• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Treaties
• World Trade Organization (WTO) – TRIPS

Contact Point

If you have questions or comments, please contact Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada at:

Intellectual Property, Information and Technology Trade Policy Division (TMI)
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Lester B. Pearson Building
125 promenade Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0G2
Fax: 613-944-0066
E-mail : consultations@international.gc.ca

* Accessibility Notice:
If the following documents are not accessible to you, please contact Foreign Affairs & International Trade Canada at the Intellectual Property, Information and Technology Trade Policy Division (TMI), Foreign Affairs & International Trade Canada, 125 promenade Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0G2; or Fax: 613-944-0066; E-mail : re-acta-acrc@international.gc.ca to obtain an appropriate format. Note: Texts are posted in Acrobat (pdf) files.To view or download pdf files you need Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™ a free software that you can download from the web.