PARAGUAY: WIPO SESSION ON IPR AND DEVELOPMENT

UNCLAS ASUNCION 000481 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC, EB/IPE STATE PASS TO USTR FOR SCRONIN, LYANG USAID FOR AA/LAC ADOLFO FRANCO TREASURY FOR OSIA MAUREEN WAFER COMMERCE ITA SARAH COOK NSC FOR MIKE DEMPSEY SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD US SOUTHERN COMMAND MIAMI, FLORIDA SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EFIN ETRD KIPR OIIP PA WIPO SUBJECT: PARAGUAY: WIPO SESSION ON IPR AND DEVELOPMENT REF: 05 State 47851 ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified - protect accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) On March 31, Econ Chief delivered reftel demarche to the GOP's Director General of Intellectual Property, Astrid Weiler. Ms. Weiler, who has been a very effective advocate of intellectual property rights in Paraguay, said that she does not support Brazil's proposal, and will personally attend the meetings in Geneva. Brazil pressured her to support its proposal, but she said she questions Brazil's motives. She and many other Paraguayans resent the sudden and strong enforcement efforts being applied by Brazil along the border, especially with respect to Ciudad del Este in the tri-border region. The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) has been trying to obtain IPR enforcement cooperation from Brazil for well over a year with little success, for example with information sharing on the mostly Brazilian buyers of the millions of blank CDs and DVDs imported into Paraguay. ¶3. Ms. Weiler also agreed with many of the US arguments against the Brazilian proposal. She commented that the Minister of Industry and Commerce, for whom she works, agrees and that they had discussed preparing talking points for President Duarte in case Brazilian President Lula were to call. KEANE