Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement Signing Ceremony
1 Oct 2011 Posted in Press releases
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The Government of Japan held a signing ceremony for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in Tokyo, Japan, on 1 October 2011. Singapore, represented by Mr Pang Kin Keong, Permanent Secretary (Law), was one of eight countries which signed the agreement. The other seven signatories were Australia, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Morocco, New Zealand, and the United States. The European Union, Mexico and Switzerland will sign the Agreement later. ACTA will come into force after at least six parties have ratified the Agreement. The joint press release of the ACTA negotiating parties is in the Annex.
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ACTA is a significant achievement in the global fight against infringement of intellectual property rights (IPR) and in particular, the proliferation of counterfeiting and piracy. The key elements of ACTA go beyond the standards set by the World Trade Organisation Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights and include more robust border measures for IPR, stronger civil and criminal liability regimes, and additional provisions for copyright protection in the digital environment. Singapore’s IPR regime upholds the high standards established by ACTA.
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With the importance of knowledge-based industries to the economy, Singapore places strong emphasis on supporting measures that encourage creativity and innovation. Singapore supports the establishment of mechanisms such as ACTA, as they promote greater international cooperation in the effective protection of IPR and adoption of higher standards in such protection.
Last updated on 25 Nov 2012