Cablegate: Demarche On Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

VZCZCXYZ0042
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRB #2158 3251716
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211716Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5245

UNCLAS RABAT 002158

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT PLEASE PASS USTR FOR STAN MCCOY AND RACHEL BAE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON ETRD KIPR PGOV MO
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TRADE AGREEMENT

REF: STATE 182554

1. (SBU) Econ Counselor raised reftel demarche last week in
separate meetings with Houda Marrakchi, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Abdallah Ouadghiri, Director of the Moroccan
Copyrights Office (BMDA), and Aziz Bouazzaoui, Director of
the Moroccan Office of Industrial and Commercial Property
(OMPIC). All expressed interest in the proposal, though they
had questions regarding how it would relate to Morocco's
existing obligations under its bilateral free trade
agreements. Marrakchi committed to circulate the text of the
concept paper to members of the GOM's inter-ministerial
working group on IPR issues, which includes the Ministry of
Communications, Justice Ministry, BMDA and OMPIC.

2. (SBU) Comment: Inter-ministerial coordination on the
question will likely take some time, and it is doubtful we
will receive a detailed reaction by the envisioned December
date for an intial meeting of interested countries. We will
continue to push the concept in our meetings with IPR
contacts, however. End Comment.
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Visit Embassy Rabats Classified Website;
http://www.state.sgov.gov//nea/rabat
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Riley

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