Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement draft released

21.04.2010
The draft text of the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) being negotiated by 10 nations and the European Union has been released.

The move to release the draft, which outlines a possible international agreement to strengthen copyright protection, comes after .

The 39-page document states the parties to the agreement will give intellectual property rights holders access to their judicial systems to pursue civil actions and that the identity of persons involved in infringements be made available.

The agreement also provides for the issuing of an interlocutory injunction on third parties to prevent imminent infringements and obliges signatories to "ensure that the rights of the defendants and third parties shall be duly protected and guaranteed".

Specific to online service providers the draft text shows parties have not yet reached agreement on what liability should be present and what civil remedies should be allowed if an infringement occurs on a provider's service.

Additionally, parties have not yet agreed on the actions to be taken by online service providers, which includes Internet Service Providers (ISPs), in regards to infringements.