Brussels, 13/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - Addressing the European Parliament, meeting in plenary session in Strasbourg on 8 September, European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht once again expressed his determination to protect geographic indications in the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) which has been under negotiation between Australia, Canada, Japan, Morocco, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, the United States and the EU since 2007 (see EUROPE 10211). “The EU should be ready to reconsider our participation in the agreement if it lacks concrete added value for our right holders,” De Gucht promised, giving assurances that, in the next round of talks, in Tokyo from 23 September to 1 October, he would press for geographic indications to be included in the agreement as a form of intellectual property, just like copyright and trademarks. The EU, then, wants ACTA to require signatories to punish infringements of geographic indications to the same extent as they would trademarks and copyright offences. According to American daily Inside US Trade, the measure called for by the EU would allow the customs authorities of ACTA signatory countries to seize goods suspected of infringing geographic indications without any prior legal complaint being lodged by rights holder. The United States opposes the EU on this ACTA chapter, fearing problems for its exports which do not comply with geographic indication protection. (E.H./transl.rt)