Yesterday marked the first working day of the APEC Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI) conference, where many members expressed great interest in the area of “digital economy” and intellectual property rights, particularly in combating the use of unauthorized software.
In order to establish stricter and more decisive measures, CTI members have proposed incorporating the issue of combating unauthorized software use and other forms of copyright infringement into the APEC leaders’ declaration, which will be discussed in November in Hanoi, with more resolute and forceful language.
Following an evening meeting on May 25 among the heads of delegations participating in the CTI, who agreed on a working method, the group dedicated its first session this morning to reviewing conclusions and proposals from previous group meetings, preparing to present them at the second Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM2).
 |
APEC will take stronger actions against the use of unauthorized software. Photo: P.A. |
CTI Chair Carol Yip stated that the group is discussing plans to support the multilateral trading system and promote the Doha Round negotiations of the WTO. Additionally, they are considering contributions to the Ministerial Conference’s (MRT) declaration on the Doha Development Agenda (DDA).
Proposals for model provisions for high-quality bilateral and regional trade agreements (RTAs/FTAs) and the implementation of the Busan business agenda were also discussed by APEC members at the CTI. Among these, a representative from Malaysia suggested standardizing trade forms in English within APEC.
Phan Anh
