A Primer on ACTA: What Europeans Should Fear about the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

• Author: Axel Metzger
• Position: Dr. iur. (Munich and Paris), LL. M. (Harvard), Professor of Law at the Leibniz University of Hannover, Institute for Legal Informatics, Germany
• Pages: 109-116

A Primer on ACTA

2010

109

1

Abstract: The European Commission recently

published the first official draft of the Anti-Counter-

feiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). The article describes

the institutional background of the negotiations on

ACTA and its relationship to the existing legal frame-

work. The civil enforcement provisions and the Inter-

net chapter are compared with the international and

European instruments in the field. For the most part,

ACTA will not oblige EU member states to enact rules

that go beyond the already established European

standards. But stricter rules could be implemented

regarding injunctions against non-infringing inter-

mediaries, strict liability rules for damages, and ex

parte measures in preliminary proceedings. Accord-

ing to the published draft, the termination of user

accounts in the case of repeated intellectual prop-

erty infringement will not be mandatory for member

ACTA states.

A Primer on ACTA

What Europeans Should Fear about

the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

by Axel Metzger, Hannover

Dr. iur. (Munich and Paris), LL. M. (Harvard), Professor of Law at the Leibniz University of Hannover, Institute for

Legal Informatics, Germany

© 2010 Axel Metzger

Everbody may disseminate this article by electronic means and make it available for download under the terms and

conditions of the Digit al Peer Publishing Licence (DPPL). A copy of the license tex t may be obtained at http://nbn-resolving.

de/urn:nbn:de:00 09-dppl-v3-en8 .

Recommended citatio n: Axel Metzger, A Primer on ACTA: What Europeans Should Fear about the Anti-C ounterfeiting Trade

Agreement, 1 (2010) JIPIT EC 109, para. 1.

Keywords: ACTA, Enforcement, TRIPS, WTO, WIPO, Injunctions, Damages, Strict Liability, Third-Party Liability,

Provisional Measures

A. Introduction1

1

    

     

        

    











       

    

       

       

   

   

     

      

 

   

  

 



2   





   



    



B. ACTA - A Treaty beyond

WIPO and WTO

I. Institutional Setting of

ACTA Negotiations

3

   

