JURIST - Paper Chase: US copyright group says Canada joining China, Russia as top violator

[JURIST] China, Russia and Canada are the main violators of US copyright law, according to report [text, PDF] issued Monday by a US-based industry group. The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), a consortium of seven trade associations representing 1,900 US companies producing and distributing copyrighted materials, found that the number of violations had increased over the past year due to what it called the "explosive growth of online and mobile piracy." A survey of 51 countries showed a total loss of $18.4 billion in revenue from these acts. The IPAA recommended [IIPA press release, PDF] that the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) [official website] establish stronger international anti-piracy norms, more effective enforcement and more international law enforcement cooperation. China and Russia are traditional targets of the IIPA and US officials working on copyright issues; those officials have criticized Canadian copyright law for being the most lax among the G7 nations. Canadian lawmakers are preparing draft legislation to address the concerns, but many Canadians have protested more stringent copyright regulation.

In October 2007, American and European official announced plans for multinational negotiation [JURIST report] of an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) to promote international enforcement of copyright law [JURIST news archive]. Talks have begun between the US, the European Union nations, Switzerland, Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand on the agreement, which will increase scrutiny and enforcement against piracy and counterfeiting. Reuters has more. CBC News has additional coverage.

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