Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement defended by Hon David Emerson today

Opinion: The following is an email reply to my concernes about the implications of the ACTA. I do not believe that our politicians understand the nature of intellectual property rights in the Internet Age. New, more modern, revenue models are emerging and this kind of agreement will only push that economy and innovation underground.

Thank you for your correspondence of May 26, 2008, regarding the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. The Government is committed to the protection of intellectual property rights, as it represents an essential tool for any knowledge-based economy like Canada's in order to ensure economic growth, attract foreign investment and foster an environment conducive to innovation. In its October 2007 Speech from the Throne, the Government indicated its support for the protection of intellectual property rights. In recent years, there has been an increased interest on the part of policy makers around the world to deal with the growing concern of trademark counterfeiting and copyright piracy. These illicit activities not only cause loss of revenues to individual stakeholders, businesses and governments at all levels, but can also threaten the public health and safety of citizens. In addition, organized criminal groups have been involved in counterfeiting and piracy in Canada. Given the nature of this problem, a global solution is needed. Canada is working bilaterally with its most important trading partners, such as the European Commission, Japan and the United States, to address this issue. Canada has also been actively involved in a number of international organizations where the protection of intellectual property rights is on the agenda, including the G8, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the World Trade Organization, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Interpol and the World Customs Organization. It is in this context that Canada has been involved in discussions pertaining to an international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). The countries involved in the discussions have come together to identify how the current international framework dealing with the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights could be improved to respond to today's environment. To achieve this objective, the proposed ACTA would focus on three main elements: increased international cooperation, better enforcement practices and enhanced legal frameworks. It aims to deal with commercial-scale counterfeiting and piracy activities, which can often involve organized crime. The intent of ACTA is not to target goods of a non-commercial nature that travellers may be carrying with them. As in all international trade negotiations in which Canada participates, the Government is committed to transparency and to consultations with the public. Canadians have an important role to play in the development and review of Canada's international trade policies. In October 2007, the Government announced that Canada was involved in preliminary ACTA discussions with key partners. Last April, the Government sought the views of the public on the key elements of the proposed ACTA, and will be doing so on a regular basis during this process. For any updates pertaining to ACTA, as well as future public consultations, I invite you to regularly visit the Government's Consulting Canadians website (www.consultingcanadians.gc.ca), as well as Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada's Trade and Negotiations page (www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux). Thank you again for sharing your views on this important subject. Sincerely, The Honourable David L. Emerson, P.C., M.P. Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics