Kirk: Anti-Counterfeiting Deal Slipping
CongressDaily PM
Trade. Trade Representative Kirk today indicated he has backed away from the Obama administration’s goal of completing an anti-counterfeiting trade agreement with some trading partners by 2010. “I can’t promise you we’ll have a resolution to that next year, but we are back at the table,” he told a U.S. Chamber of Commerce intellectual property summit. The next round of talks will take place in Seoul, South Korea, in early November. The effort began nearly two years ago, and negotiators initially wanted to finalize the deal before the end of former President George W. Bush’s term. It has been complicated by concerns over transparency and proposed piracy provisions that some worry could harm U.S. innovation. Internet piracy will be “a very strong part of our dialogue,” but it would be helpful if industry stakeholders could arrive at “a more harmonious position,” Kirk said.
