Say yes to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, EU Trade Commissioner...
Say yes to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht urged European Parliament members Tuesday. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote July 4 on the controversial pact and appear headed toward rejection (CD June 22 p8). The EC…
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has asked the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to ensure the text doesn’t breach fundamental rights, and De Gucht said he'd have preferred that lawmakers wait until the court rules before voting. He repeated assurances that ACTA poses no threats to human rights, saying in a written statement that it’s simply a “defence of our livelihoods” that’s necessary to safeguard European intellectual property rights and boost the economy. There are no quick fixes if Parliament rejects ACTA, he said. “Those who think that we can come back anytime soon with a revised agreement or with a new treaty have been misled.” If Parliament nixes the treaty, the EC will still wait for the ECJ ruling and review it closely, because citizens have raised concerns about its impact on human rights, De Gucht said. It will also consider how the debate on intellectual property rights evolves in coming months, particularly on issues such as the definition of “commercial scale” infringement and what sharing information means with regard to intellectual property rights, he said. The EC will also discuss the court’s ruling with other ACTA signers and decide what route to take, he said.