Branka Totić, Director of the Serbian Intellectual Property Office, says that Serbia is prepared to ratify ACTA as part of its efforts to joint the European Union, assuming the existing Member States ratify the Agreement and it comes into force. Reports…
Agence France Presse reports that Slovenian government spokesman Anze Logar has told journalists that the government will delay ratification of the Anticounterfeiting Trade Agreement until debate of the agreement is settled in the European Union. “It would be senseless to…
ACTA’s biggest EU proponent, Karel De Gucht, the European Commissioner driving ACTA, is now admitting that the agreement may be doomed in Europe. Techdirt reports minutes from a recent Commission meeting in which De Gucht was paraphrased as saying: “that…
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk testified before the Senate Finance Committee today about the Obama Administration’s 2012 Trade Agenda. (Last week, USTR released its Annual Report outlining the 2012 Agenda in detail.) The Committee has a webcast available here, and…
In today’s Senate Finance Committee hearing on the Obama Administration’s 2012 Trade Agenda, Sen. Wyden pressed U.S. Trade Representative Kirk on ACTA. He referred to the Obama’s Administration’s assertion that ACTA is legally binding, and asked about the potential consequences.…
Today Representative Darrell Issa has issued a press release blasting the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. Issa notes that the agreement was negotiated in secret, may lead to poor consequences for consumers, and “appears to be an unconstitutional power grab begun by…
Last week, PIJIP staff submitted a Freedom of Information Act Request to the State Department. The request was for the Circular 175 memo, the accompanying Memorandum of Law, and subsequently related documents in connection to the negotiation and conclusion of…
[Enclosed are my comments at the TPP stakeholder forum in Melbourne, Australia, March 4, 2012. You may also see my Presentation Slides: What ACTA should learn from TPP and listen via Audio File TPP Presentation March 4 2012] I want…
February 28: MEP and ACTA Rapporteur David Martin indicated he wants the European Parliament to refer ACTA to the European Court of Justice to ensure that the agreement does not conflict with other treaty obligations and EU Common Law. [see…
On February 22, EC Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht announced that the Commission has referred ACTA to the European Court of Justice. The court has been asked “to assess whether ACTA is incompatible – in any way – with the…
Last week, more European government officials signaled that they would refuse or delay ratification of the Anticounterfeiting Trade Agreement. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a news conference that Poland would not move to ratify it, saying “The ACTA is…
Germany has postponed its signing of the Anticounterfeiting Trade Agreement. Bloomberg reports that “Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger is at odds with lawmakers from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats” over the agreement, and the BBC quotes a Foreign Ministry spokesperson saying…