‘Vigorous Enforcement’ of USMCA ‘Critical’ to Thwart Mexican Movie Piracy, Says Coalition

Strong enforcement against unfair trade practices “boosts U.S. exports, facilitates innovation, and supports job creation here at home,” the Alliance for Trade Enforcement wrote U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer Wednesday. The alliance is a coalition of trade associations and business groups, including MPA, RIAA and the Telecommunications Industry Association. To end bad trade behavior, the alliance “supports actions and policies that encourage U.S. trading partners to open their markets, reduce barriers to trade, and provide effective protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights,” it said. With the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on free trade now in effect, “we must ensure that Canada and Mexico abide by the commitments that they have made and treat U.S. interests fairly,” the letter said. It hails the “important leap forward” of USMCA’s digital trade provisions,” it said. Mexico has been a “major source of camcorded movies” uploaded to the internet, “facilitating international piracy of American content,” it said. USMCA requires Mexico to impose “enhanced criminal remedies into its national law,” it said. USTR didn’t comment.