New Zealand will join other countries in signing an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in Tokyo on October 1, Trade Minister Tim Groser says.
Mr Groser says ACTA will cover countries representing half the world's trade and is aimed at curbing the growing trade in counterfeit goods and pirated copyright works.
"New Zealand businesses and consumers face a growing illegal trade across our border and in the digital environment," he says.
"This new agreement tackles these issues by strengthening international enforcement in a co-operative and balanced way."
Mr Groser says New Zealand already provides "robust and modern" intellectual property enforcement procedures in line with those set out in the agreement.
NZN