Martin Crutsinger writes that the US today started a world wide effort to expand enforcement of copyright link here. "U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said the administration planned to join with other countries to negotiate an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement that would toughen efforts to confront copyright piracy." The move is initially directed at Canada, the 27-nation European Union, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand and Switzerland. Schwab is quoted, "Today launches our joint efforts to confront counterfeiters and pirates across the global marketplace."

Her statement raises a lot of questions. Where do most of the violations occur? I suspect in poor developing countries which are not immediately the target here. But if we rope in the developed countries, copyright enforcement is likely to be part of more free trade agreements, extending the power of the new effort.

Schwab said the new agreement, which the administration hopes to negotiate quickly, would set a higher benchmark for enforcement that countries will be able to join on a voluntary basis voluntary if they want access to US markets. If the wording has to be negotiated among that large a group of countries, one wonders how quickly it can be done.

Schwab is also quoted, "Global counterfeiting and piracy steal billions of dollars from workers, artists and entrepreneurs each year and jeopardize the health and safety of citizens across the world." One may ask who benefits from copyright other than the owner of the copyright, typically a big company. Think Disney and Mickey Mouse, created by the long dead Walt.

So here we go with another effort to expand the reach of our state created monopolies.