Washington, D.C. – Today the Office of the United States Trade Representative released a statement by Ambassador Ron Kirk welcoming the conclusion of the final round of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations in Tokyo, Japan. Participants in the negotiations constructively resolved nearly all substantive issues, and produced a consolidated text of the proposed agreement. The participants agreed to work expeditiously to resolve the small number of outstanding issues that require further examination in their own countries with a view to finalizing the text of the agreement as promptly as possible.
“We are almost across the finish line in this negotiation. In principle, we have found solutions, even on the most difficult issues,” said Ambassador Kirk. “Nearly all of the parties embraced those solutions. We are on the threshold of a landmark achievement in the enforcement of intellectual property rights, and the international alliance we are forging with parties representing half of global trade will be critical to fighting the theft of American jobs through trademark counterfeiting and copyright piracy. I congratulate all of our partners on the progress we have achieved and urge that we lose no time in confirming our approach in the few remaining areas. The ACTA negotiating partners have agreed to publicly release the text shortly and I look forward to finalizing the text as the parties have discussed in Tokyo.”
