VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRO #0290 0431522
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121522Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7172
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY 4481
INFO RUCNMEU/EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS ROME 000290  

SIPDIS  

SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS  

PLEASE PASS TO EB A/S SULLIVAN, EB/TPP/IPE JOELLEN URBAN, CANDY GREEN, JENNIFER BOGER, KAREN HOWLAND PLEASE ALSO PASS TO USTR: SHAUN DONNELLY, CHRIS WILSON, STAN MCCOY, RACHEL BAE, JAMES SANFORD, PAUL BURKHEAD, JENNIFER CHOE GROVES  E.O. 12958: N/A 

TAGS: ECON EINV ETRD IT KIPR PGOV

SUBJECT: ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TREATY AGREEMENT (ACTA) - ITALY'S CONCERNS  REF: A. 06 ROME 3243      B. 06 ROME 3205      C. 06 STATE 182554  

¶1.   This is an action request.  See paragraph 4.  

¶2.  Counselor Fabrizio Mazza, head of the MFA's intellectual property office, contacted the Embassy regarding the Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty Agreement (ACTA) proposal.  He said two sources (one USTR, another (unidentified) in Brussels) had informed him that the USG had presented the joint U.S.-Japanese ACTA proposal to the EU Commission in Brussels.  Mazza is confused and concerned because he thinks it will be much more difficult to reach an agreement by involving the EU, and he understood the USG intent was to deal directly and preferably with only member states, instead of the Commission. 

 ------- COMMENT -------  
¶3.  There is considerable GOI interest in ACTA.  Post requests that to the extent possible messages to host governments be passed through host country Embassies via cable to ensure Embassies relate--and understand--USG views. 
END COMMENT.  -------------- 

ACTION REQUEST --------------  

¶4.  Post requests the following:  clarification on the current status of the ACTA proposal, clarification on whether it has been presented to the Commission, and USG views on how a Commission role in negotiating ACTA would affect member state involvement. 
END ACTION REQUEST. SPOGLI