U.S. seeks anti-piracy trade pact

The Bush administration announced Tuesday that it planned to negotiate a trade agreement with other major countries to bolster the fight against counterfeit products.

U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said the administration planned to join other countries to negotiate an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement that would toughen efforts to confront copyright piracy.

She said the United States was in discussions with Canada, the 27-nation European Union, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand and Switzerland on developing the agreement, which would support high enforcement standards against copyright piracy.

She also said the pact would complement rules already on the books against copyright piracy that are overseen by the World Trade Organization. The agreement, which the administration hopes to negotiate quickly, would set a higher benchmark for enforcement that countries will be able to join on a voluntary basis, Schwab said.

Industry groups and members of Congress praised Schwab’s action.