Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)
The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia Pacific Gateway, signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement on behalf of Canada on October 1, 2011 at a ceremony in Tokyo alongside Australia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and the United States.
Background
In October 2007, the Government of Canada announced that it would participate in discussions towards an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). 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, concluded negotiations in October 2010 and completed the legal verification of the ACTA text in April 2011. The objective of the ACTA is 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 agreement covers three areas: improving international cooperation, establishing best practices for enforcement, and providing a more effective legal framework and is open for signature as of May 1, 2011.
- ACTA participants successfully finalized the English, French and Spanish versions of the ACTA text on April 15, 2011. The ACTA text is now authentic in English, French and Spanish.
- Legally verified text of the ACTA Trade Agreement – April 15, 2011 - Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, (PDF Version, 226 kb) *
- ACTA participants successfully completed a legal verification of the finalised ACTA text at a meeting in Sydney, Australia between November 30 and December 3, 2010. This meeting was held in order to review the technical legal drafting of the Agreement to ensure that the text follows appropriate treaty drafting conventions
- Legally verified text of the ACTA Trade Agreement November 15, 2010 - Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, (PDF Version, 213 kb)
- Joint Statement: Finalized Text of ACTA Trade Agreement November 15, 2010
- Negotiating Parties have agreed to release the October 2, 2010 text of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. Some Parties have expressed reservation on specific parts of the text, which are still under discussion. These parts are identified in the text by underlines and italic letters.
- Text of the ACTA Trade Agreement – 2 October 2010 - (PDF Version, 238 KB)
- Joint Statement: ACTA Final Round Tokyo, Japan September 23 to October 2, 2010- Formal negotiations with respect to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement have been completed
- ACTA 11th Round Agenda
- Joint Statement: ACTA 10th Round, Washington D.C - August 20, 2010
- ACTA 10th Round Agenda
- Joint Statement: ACTA 9th Round, Lucerne, Switzerland - July 2, 2010
- ACTA 9th Round Tentative Agenda
- Draft Negotiating Text - Consolidated Text, (PDF Version, 235 kb)
- News Release - April 22, 2010
- Joint Statement: ACTA 8th Round, Wellington NZ - April 16, 2010
- ACTA 8th Round Proposed Agenda for Public Release
- Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement - Fact Sheet - April 1, 2010
- ACTA 7th Round of ACTA Negotiations, Guadalajara, Mexico, January 26 to 29, 2010
- ACTA 7th Round Tentative Agenda
- ACTA 6th Round of ACTA negotiations in Seoul, Korea; November 4 to 6, 2009
- ACTA 6th Round Tentative Agenda for Public Release
- ACTA 5th 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 Trade and Intellectual Property, (pdf version, 585 KB)
- ACTA: Summary of Key Elements Under Discussion - November 6, 2009
- Meeting in Paris, France, December 15-17 2008
- Further Opportunities - Meeting in Tokyo, Japan, October 8-9 2008, October 24, 2008
- Further Opportunities - Meeting in Washington, D.C. - July 29-31 2008 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) Administered 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 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
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