Anti-counterfeiting agreement negotiated

Anti-counterfeiting agreement negotiated    Negotiators of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) released an updated version of the document Wednesday after government representatives finished a last round of negotiations in Tokyo last week.
   If signed, ACTA would be one of the first international agreements designed specifically to combat counterfeiting in a harmonized and coordinated way.
   The New York-based International Trademark Association (INTA) said in a statement this week that it will closely review the text and plans to further engage with ACTA negotiators. INTA said it has been a supporter of the general principles and objectives of ACTA since the negotiations began in 2008, but has expressed concern over specific parts of the agreement in the past.
   “We are pleased to see that significant progress has been made in Tokyo, and we congratulate the negotiators for their dedication and hard work,' said Alan C. Drewsen, INTA executive director. 'Counterfeiting is an enormous problem that poses both economic and social risks to countries across the globe. The ACTA negotiations have been an important step in addressing those threats. As we review the text on behalf of the trademark community, we will look broadly at the new regime created by the treaty and more specifically at those enforcement issues that are of most concern to brand owners.” ' Eric Johnson