I attended a workshop on ACTA in Geneva yesterday that included government attendees from China, India, Pakistan, and other leading developing countries. Some key takeaways:
- China expressed serious concerns with ACTA as upsetting the IP balance and harming the interests of the developing world. It argued that this may provide an opportunity to reconsider and re-examine the protection of intellectual property more generally, with the root cause of infringement attributable to development differences. The Chinese presentation concluded with a call for the WTO to lead on these issues. The China official also interestingly referenced Industry Minister Tony Clement's admission that he infringed copyright by copying music onto his iPod. The official said the story appeared on CNN.
- Pakistan expressed concern about ACTA's relationship with TRIPS, particularly whether ACTA norms would make their way into the WTO.
- Brazil is not sure how to react. It has raised concerns at the WTO and is still examining ACTA as negotiations proceed. It has no doubt that ACTA is an institution is in the making.
