ACTA successfuly concludes - Singapore to be part of multilateral agreement on IPR enforcement

07 OCT 2010

7 Oct 2010 Posted in Press releases

  1. The finalised draft text of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) was released on 6 October, 2010 after successful conclusion of negotiations in Tokyo, Japan on 2 October, 2010. Singapore has been a participant in the discussions on this multilateral agreement. Other participants in the negotiations included Australia, Canada, the European Union (EU) represented by the European Commission and the EU Presidency (Belgium) and the EU Member States, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United States of America.

  2. ACTA aims to establish a comprehensive, first-time, international framework that will assist Parties to the agreement in their efforts to effectively combat the infringement of intellectual property rights (IPR). It will include state-of-the-art provisions on the enforcement of intellectual property rights, including provisions on civil, criminal, and border enforcement measures.

  3. Singapore had entered ACTA negotiations on the premise that a robust intellectual property rights regime strengthens our economy and is essential to encourage innovation, creativity and the growth of industry and commerce in Singapore. Participation in the discussions enabled Singapore to contribute directly to shaping global IPR enforcement norms. The collective agreement of ACTA participants sends a strong signal about the importance of IPR enforcement. Singapore joins other ACTA participants in desiring enhanced international cooperation in the area.

  4. Singapore has a legislative and administrative regime which is fully compliant with the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It is also a signatory to other key international conventions on intellectual property. 1 Singapore consistently fares well in global surveys on intellectual property protection. For example, a Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) study released in August 2010 ranks Singapore as first in Asia for protection of intellectual property rights. Singapore is committed to creating a balanced environment that is conducive for the development of intellectual property.

[1] Including the Paris Convention, Berne Convention, Madrid Protocol, Nice Agreement, Patent Cooperation Treaty, Budapest Treaty, WIPO Copyright Treaty, WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Last updated on 25 Nov 2012