MUMBAI: The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) applauded the announcement by United States Trade Representative (USTR) Susan Schwab that the United States and a group of key trading partners will launch negotiations on an Anti- Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). USTR, along with the Congressional Caucus on Intellectual Property and Piracy Prevention, released an objectives paper that will form the parameters of the negotiations.

MPAA Chairman and CEO, Dan Glickman stated, “This agreement has real potential to improve the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in major markets around the world. We think this agreement will help shift the international debate on intellectual property rights in favor of international cooperation and strong enforcement standards. I commend the Administration, the Congressional Caucus on Intellectual Property and Piracy Prevention and the other partners in this initiative on their progress thus far, and I strongly encourage them to negotiate an agreement that realizes the ambition and promise of the objectives laid out today.”

Glickman said he was pleased to see that the ACTA partners have recognized that strong intellectual property rights protections are integral to the vitality of the creative industries and the global economy. According to the objectives paper, the ACTA will increase international cooperation, strengthen the legal enforcement framework, and establish enforcement best practices.

The six major studios of the MPAA generate billions of dollars annually from filmed entertainment distributed to more than 150 countries around the globe. Notwithstanding this singular achievement, the United States‘ movie industry faces daunting barriers in many markets as well as the relentless challenge of piracy.