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ACTA: US courting of Hong Kong government (2007)
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This cable, written on 23 January 2007, summarizes the proceedings of a video conference between US government officials and Hong Kong government officials that took place on 12 January 2007 with respect to ACTA and subsequent conversations between t...
Senator Wyden releases redacted version of October 29, 2010 CRS report on ACTA
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On April 26, 2011, Senator Wyden released a redacted version of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) report on ACTA that has been the subject to an ongoing Freedom of Information ACT (FOIA) dispute with USTR. (More context here, here and here)...
Confirmation that Obama Administration was "lone hold out" for releasing bracketed ACTA text to the public in Summer of 2010.
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On July 1, 2010, William Yue, the Senior Counsel, Office of the Chief Counsel for International Commerce at the US Department of Commerce, wrote to Joel Blank and John Cobau about the ACTA negotiations. John Cobau was the Chief Counsel for Internat...
Homeland Security's 2008 letter to USTR: ACTA is a threat to national security
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On August 7, 2008, Stewart Baker, the Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security, sent a one page letter and a three page "Policy Position on Border Measures of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement." Stewart Baker was t...
US Congress is not bound by ACTA, according to White House answers to Senate Finance on ACTA and TPP negotiations
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Ambassador Ron Kirk holds the office of United States Trade Representative (USTR) in the White House. On March 9, 2011, he testified before the US Senate Finance Committee on the 2011 Trade Agenda. Several members of the Committee provided follow u...
KEI to appeal USTR rejection of FOIA of Congressional Research Service (CRS) study of ACTA
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USTR has rejected a KEI FOIA request for a Congressional Research Service study of ACTA that was done for Senate Ron Wyden. Senator Wyden shared the report with USTR. USTR acknowledges that it has possession of the document, but asserts it does not...
Greens/EFA MEPs Engström, Sargentini, Beliér, Albrecht ask question on ACTA and Vienna Convention
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Four Green/EFA MEPs (from four parties and four countries) have asked a follow-up question on ACTA and the Vienna Connection, trying to get at the "is the US bound?" issue. Greens/EFA MEPs Christian Engström, Judith Sargentini, Sandrine Beliér...
USTR's Request for Comments on ACTA
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USTR has issued a request for comments on ACTA. The deadline for submissions is February 15, 2011. The notice gives very little guidance regarding the issues the USTR would like addressed in the comments. [Billing Code 3190-W1-P] Office of the...
Non-responsive letter from David Kappos of USPTO to Senators Sanders and Brown regarding ACTA consistency with US law
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In a October 19, 2010, Senators Bernard Sanders (I-VT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) wrote to David Kappos, the Director of the USPTO, asking for an assessment of conflicts between the October 2010 ACTA text, and U.S. law. (attached here). Undersecr...
A KEI note to Library of Congress about ACTA text
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From: James Love To: Michele Woods Cc: Nancy Weiss Subject: Some examples of US inconsistency with ACTA Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2010 07:29:09 -0500 This note cites several areas where US law is plainly inconsistent with ACTA. In addition, in a separa...
European generic drug companies ask EU Parliament to remove patents from ACTA
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The European Generics Association has written to the European Parliament asking that patents be removed from the Anti-Counterfeiting Agreement. A PDF copy of their letter is here. The text in html follows: MEP Mr. Gianluca Susta INTA Committee Euro...
ACTA: USTR's talking points to WTO Council for TRIPS
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The following statement is the oral intervention made by USTR at the WTO Council for TRIPS (October 2010) regarding ACTA. Talking Points of the United States for TRIPS Council Meeting of October 26, 2010 Agenda Item P ACTA We would like to thank othe...
ACTA: Intervention of China to the WTO TRIPS Council
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The following is extracted from China's intervention made at the WTO TRIPS Council meeting held from 26-27 October 2010; this reflects China's position on ACTA. On ACTA...
USTR positions in China WTO TRIPS dispute at odds with talking points on ACTA flexibility
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Use of Article 1.1 of the TRIPS in the US/China WTO dispute over the enforcement of intellectual property rights USTR claims that Article 1.2.1 of ACTA provides the flexibility to overlook inconsistencies between US law and ACTA. Below is the text f...
Michèle Rivasi asks question about ACTA and Access to Medicine
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Michèle Rivasi, a Member of the European Parliament, representing South East France for The Greens, has asked the European Commission: "Given the possible impacts of the inclusion of patents the agreement on access to medicines and on innovation,...
Françoise Castex, French Socialist MEP, asks about USTR assertions that ACTA does not require changes in US law
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As David Hammerstein of TACD has also blogged about here, Françoise Castex, a French Socialist MEP, has submitted this priority question about ACTA to the European Commission, asking the Commission to respond to the assertions by the USTR that ACTA...
KEI Letter to the European Parliament regarding ACTA, October 25, 2010
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(A PDF version of this is available here.) Knowledge Ecology International October 25, 2010 Letter to the European Parliament regarding ACTA...
