AT&T, IIPA Praise Elements of TPP

AT&T and the International Intellectual Property Alliance praised Trans-Pacific Partnership language, in separate statements Friday. The Obama administration released major portions of TPP’s full text Thursday (see 1511050058). TPP “brings higher standards and protections to countries that represent nearly 40 percent of the global economy,” AT&T Senior Executive Vice President Jim Cicconi said in a statement Friday. “It will open markets, and establish rules of the road for a 21st Century digital economy. The e-Commerce commitments in TPP also provide a benchmark for reference in future trade agreements.” AT&T hopes for ratification soon, Cicconi said. IIPA said it still needs to review TPP’s full text but said IP language in the treaty “is built on the recognition that the creative sector makes an enormous contribution to the U.S. economy, jobs, and global competitiveness, and that further opening the markets of our major trading partners in this sector must be a top national priority.” The treaty's IP section “also contains important provisions aimed at expanding digital trade in creative materials, an increasingly critical sector where U.S. creators face both serious challenges and exciting opportunities in reaching new markets around the world,” IIPA said.