This week, the United States is hosting the 10th round of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations. ACTA is part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to aggressively protect American intellectual property rights overseas. In this Weekly Trade Spotlight, USTR.gov is looking into how the establishment of ACTA will safeguard American creativity.
Intellectual property rights (IPR) have helped the United States to maintain its position as a world leader in innovation. IPR encourages business to take the risks that often result in new and exciting products that enhance all our lives. Intellectual property intensive companies own countless trademarks, copyrights, patents estimated to be worth about $5½ trillion; these businesses fuel our economy and they employ about 18 million Americans. It is in the U.S. interest to protect intellectual property rights and grow these businesses.
Theft of intellectual property has become a global problem. Therefore, the United States has joined with Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore and Switzerland to negotiate ACTA. ACTA will establish an international framework to help participating governments combat counterfeiting and piracy more effectively.
From smartphone screens to the silver screen, ACTA will help protect the integrity of a vast and ingenious array of American products. Visit USTR.gov to read letters and statements of support from folks in IPR dependent industries.
As part of our outreach efforts, USTR will be providing opportunities for NGOs and industry stakeholders to interact with the negotiators.
