"On 22 October 2010, on the occasion of the meeting of the ECTA leadership in Cracow (Poland), members of the ECTA Anti-Counterfeiting Committee met to discuss and examine the latest version of ACTA. Several ACTA Articles remain subject to discussion by the Parties.

Accordingly, ECTA is taking this opportunity to contribute to the public discussion on those limited issues which have been highlighted in the most recent ACTA text.

The initiative of the EU and other countries in enhancing the protection of IP right holders and consumers against all forms of damage caused by counterfeit goods is a welcome step in the battle against counterfeiting. Increasingly, counterfeit goods may represent a threat to the health and safety of consumers, as recognized by governments worldwide. 

ECTA supports the specific inclusion of trade mark rights in ALL aspects of ACTA, including those where delegates have expressed reservation, namely with respect to enforcement of trade mark rights in the digital environment as set out in Articles 2.18.2, 2.18.3 and 2.18.4

Moreover, ECTA endorses the inclusion of border measures, which have shown to be an effective and necessary tool in combating the import and export of counterfeit goods. In this regard, ACTA includes the option to seize goods contained in a travellers’ personal luggage. ECTA encourages all Parties to exercise this option and to implement measures that support the seizure of ALL counterfeit goods".