US backs down on ACTA details

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement would give sweeping new powers to governments

The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has published details of a major new intellectual property treaty for the first time.

The information concerns negations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which is being formulated between governments in the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Switzerland.

The treaty would give sweeping new powers to governments to search for products containing stolen intellectual property, or that which is deemed as under copyright.

Leaked documents claim that some proposals include using customs officers to search for pirated music on laptops and media players, although this has now been denied by the EU.

"I am grateful to our partners in the ACTA negotiations for working with us in a joint effort to prepare this summary," said US Trade Representative Ron Kirk. "We look forward to taking more steps to engage with the public in our efforts to make trade work for American families."

Details on the treaty had been kept secret, and had been classified for national security reasons. Other member states, such as Canada, have made public commitments to openness over the proceedings.

Although short on detail, the ACTA document shows some of the measures being considered. These include a reappraisal of the role of internet service providers in checking customers' use of pirated material, and discussions of what rights people have to material for personal use.

"We were pleased to see this morning that the USTR released a summary of the elements being discussed as part of the proposed ACTA," said Gigi Sohn, president and co-founder of public interest advocacy group Public Knowledge.

"Public Knowledge and many other organisations have called for months for such disclosure and transparency in the secret talks. The dissemination of the six-page summary will help to some degree to clarify what is being discussed.

"We look forward to increasing disclosure and transparency from our negotiators as the treaty discussions proceed."