ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TREATY AGREEMENT (ACTA) -

UNCLAS ROME 000290

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

PLEASE PASS TO EB A/S SULLIVAN, EB/TPP/IPE JOELLEN URBAN,
CANDY GREEN, JENNIFER BOGER, KAREN HOWLAND
PLEASE ALSO PASS TO USTR: SHAUN DONNELLY, CHRIS WILSON,
STAN MCCOY, RACHEL BAE, JAMES SANFORD, PAUL BURKHEAD,
JENNIFER CHOE GROVES

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EINV ETRD IT KIPR PGOV
SUBJECT: ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TREATY AGREEMENT (ACTA) -
ITALY'S CONCERNS

REF: A. 06 ROME 3243

B. 06 ROME 3205

C. 06 STATE 182554


1. This is an action request. See paragraph 4.


2. Counselor Fabrizio Mazza, head of the MFA's intellectual
property office, contacted the Embassy regarding the
Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty Agreement (ACTA) proposal. He
said two sources (one USTR, another (unidentified) in
Brussels) had informed him that the USG had presented the
joint U.S.-Japanese ACTA proposal to the EU Commission in
Brussels. Mazza is confused and concerned because he thinks
it will be much more difficult to reach an agreement by
involving the EU, and he understood the USG intent was to
deal directly and preferably with only member states, instead
of the Commission.

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COMMENT
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3. There is considerable GOI interest in ACTA. Post
requests that to the extent possible messages to host
governments be passed through host country Embassies via
cable to ensure Embassies relate--and understand--USG views.
END COMMENT.

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ACTION REQUEST
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4. Post requests the following: clarification on the
current status of the ACTA proposal, clarification on whether
it has been presented to the Commission, and USG views on how
a Commission role in negotiating ACTA would affect member
state involvement. END ACTION REQUEST.
SPOGLI