CANADA STAGES TOUR TO RAISE IPR AWARENESS

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000787 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CAN AND EEB/TPP/MTA/IPC STATE PASS USTR FOR SULLIVAN, MELLE, AND GARDE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ETRD KIPR CA SUBJECT: CANADA STAGES TOUR TO RAISE IPR AWARENESS ¶1. (U) On June 4, the Canadian Anti-Counterfeiting Network (CACN) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) hosted the Ottawa segment of the 2008 CACN/RCMP Canadian "Reality" Tour to boost awareness of counterfeiting and piracy. The tour began in April and will stop in ten cities across Canada, including Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Mississauga, Ottawa, Montreal, Moncton, Charlottetown and Halifax. The presentations by government officials and industry stakeholders highlighted the prevalence of Intellectual property rights (IPR) crime in digital entertainment, pharmaceuticals, and health products in Canada. A representative from the RCMP said his organization hopes that the GOC will grant ex-officio powers to Canadian customs and border officials that would allow them to seize pirated and counterfeit goods. ¶2. (U) The tour will conclude in Halifax at the RCMP and INTERPOL's 2008 International Law Enforcement IP Crime Conference from June 24-26. Several USG officials will be speaking at this conference, including: Mark Filip, United States Deputy Attorney General, Mark Cohen, U.S. Embassy Beijing Senior Intellectual Property Attach, and Wayne Paugh, Acting U.S. Coordinator for International Intellectual Property Enforcement. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: Canada's protection of IPR is among the weakest in the G8. It is encouraging to see the RCMP working to increase public awareness of IPR crime in Canada. End Comment Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada WILKINS