After ACTA, EU needs new tools to protect EU intellectual property rights

After the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), the European Union needs better tools to protect EU intellectual property in third countries, say Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in a resolution voted today.

They asked the European Commission to look into appropriate means and methods to this end. In a separate resolution, also voted on Tuesday, they advocate assessing and adjusting intra-EU rules to combat online breaches of intellectual property rights (IPRs).

The "commercial nature of many IPR infringements" and the "growing involvement of organized crime" pose a serious threat to creativity and innovation, which are the EU's key assets in the global market say MEPs, in a resolution drafted by Maria Alessia Mosca (S&D, Italy) and approved on Tuesday by 521 votes to 164 with 17 abstentions.