Today Online reports that Singapore could be among the first countries to sign the anti-counterfeiting treaty upholding intellectual property rights that it had helped draft.
The website reports that The 24-page finalised draft of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (Acta) was released last Wednesday after a number of amendments
The Singapore? Ministry of Law has told local press that the Singapore govt? was “positive about becoming a founding signatory of Acta” based on the latest draft, which was the culmination of talks held in Tokyo last month.
The ministry also added: “The draft agreement will be subject to legal scrubbing and finalisation. Once the agreement is finalised, we will review it and decide whether to accede to it.”
Today online goes on to say …
Singapore’s participation in Acta discussions – alongside countries such as Australia and the United States – had allowed it to help shape global enforcement norms of IP rights, it said. Earlier, the ministry had said Singapore entered the negotiations on the premise that a robust IP rights regime will strengthen its economy.
Industry experts told MediaCorp that, should Singapore sign the agreement, consumers were unlikely to feel any noticeable changes.
Said lawyer Rajesh Sreenivasan, head of law firm Rajah and Tann’s technology, media and telecoms practice: “We may not see a palpable difference in terms of what goes on day to day. This really is an affirmation by Singapore to meet the high standards expected in international trade.”
