The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has expressed concern that the negotiations towards an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which have potentially serious implications for individual privacy, are being held under an apparent cloak of secrecy. "The EDPS regrets that he was not consulted by the European Commission on the content of an agreement which raises significant issues as regards individuals' fundamental rights, and in particular their right to privacy and data protection," the statement said.The ACTA initiative aims to establish international standards for enforcing intellectual property rights in order to fight more efficiently the growing problem of counterfeiting and piracy. In particular, the ACTA is intended to establish, among the signatories, agreed standards for the enforcement of intellectual property rights that address challenges of internet piracy in particular by increasing international cooperation, strengthening the framework of practices that contribute to effective enforcement of intellectual property rights, and strengthening relevant enforcement measures. The ACTA is intended to be consistent with the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) and participants in these negotiations include Australia, Canada, the European Union (represented by the European Commission), the EU Presidency (Spain), EU member states, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United States Full Story
