Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) Signing Ceremony (Outline)

October 1, 2011

Japanese

The signing ceremony for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) was held on October 1 at the Iikura Guest House of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An outline of the ceremony is given below.

1. The signing ceremony was attended by the representatives of all the participants in the ACTA negotiations (Australia, Canada, the EU, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United States) and representatives from eight countries among these, which had completed domestic procedures (Australia, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United States), signed the agreement. Koichiro Gemba, Minister for Foreign Affairs, signed the agreement on behalf of Japan.

2. (1) In his opening remarks, Minister Gemba expressed anew his appreciation for the support and encouragement from each related country in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and stated that this agreement, which was inspired in significant part by Japan’s proposal, opens a new page of international intellectual property rights protection rules.

(2) In the remarks from the signing representatives of each country, it was emphasized that ACTA provides protection for intellectual property, which is an essential component of the 21st century economy, that the agreement is a strong indicator of the signatories’ desire for enhanced international cooperation in these areas, and that it is expected that the agreement will enter into force at an early date and more countries will participate.

3. Foreign Minister Gemba held bilateral talks with each of the following representatives who had come to Japan to participate in the signing ceremony: The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, Canada; H. E. Dr. Craig Emerson, Minister for Trade, Australia; and H. E. Kim, Jong-hoon, Minister for Trade, the Republic of Korea.

4. In addition, on September 30, prior to this signing ceremony, the international symposium Global Perspective of Intellectual Property Strategy and Recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami disaster: Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy with ACTA was held in Sendai.

Joint Press Statement of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement Negotiating Parties[PDF]

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