BRUSSELS - More than 18 organizations representing companies operating throughout Europe applaud the European Commission for formally adopting the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and sending it to the Council and European Parliament for final approval, a press release by the International Trademark Association (INTA) stated.
ACTA is a multilateral trade agreement aimed at improving intellectual property enforcement against counterfeiting and piracy internationally. The business community urges the Council and European Parliament to approve the agreement quickly.
ACTA has enormous potential to complement the tangible steps the EU is already taking to promote legislation, upgrade enforcement measures, and allocate resources to help control the global problem of counterfeiting and piracy. When the EU ratifies ACTA, the region will lead governments around the world in the effort to fight counterfeiting and piracy, which are borderless crimes that span all jurisdictions.
Counterfeiting and piracy – both physical and online – are, by every measure, rampant global problems that, in order to be addressed, require better international resolve and cooperation. These problems have significant negative impacts on the world economy, public health and safety, and legitimate businesses. Recent studies suggest that more than two million legitimate jobs are destroyed by counterfeiting and piracy each year across the globe. It is estimated that the value of counterfeit and pirated goods moving through international trade now accounts for over half of the total value of such goods, and could grow to as much as €675 billion by 2015.
Organizations that support the European Commission’s vote include the International Trademark Association (INTA), Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP), Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG), Business Software Alliance (BSA), European Communities Trademark Association (ECTA), the European Apparel and Textile Confederation (EURATEX), EGEDA, Federation of European Publishers (FEP), Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI), International Chamber of Commerce UK (ICC UK), Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE), International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI), INDICAM (Italian anticounterfeiting group), MARQUES, React, Toy Industries of Europe (TIE), Union des Fabricants (UNIFAB), and Verein für Anti-Piraterie (VAP).
The organizations mentioned above are confident that once the EU and the other negotiating partners sign the agreement, ACTA will be an effective tool in protecting European brand owners, creators, innovators and consumers from the harms of counterfeiting and piracy. The European Commission has made it clear that protecting IP and its citizens are a top priority, and the business community hopes that the Council and Parliament will deliver the same message after their review.