The Office of the United States Trade Representative recently concluded negotiations on a trade agreement with Mexico and Canada called the United States, Mexico, and Canada Agreement, or USMCA. Below is a comment from RIAA President Mitch Glazier on the text of the agreement released by USTR.
“We understand the U.S. Trade Representative and his team must navigate a complex trade landscape, and we appreciate the diligent work of Ambassador Lighthizer and his staff over the past several months.
“Unfortunately, the agreement’s proposed text does not advance adequate modern copyright protections for American creators. Instead, the proposal enshrines regulatory twenty-year-old ‘safe harbor’ provisions that do not comport with today’s digital reality. These provisions enrich platforms that abuse outdated liability protections at the expense of American creators and the U.S. music community, which provides real jobs and is one of our nation’s biggest cultural assets.
“Modern trade treaties should advance the policy priority of encouraging more accountability on public platforms, not less. We are hopeful that the Administration and Congress will redouble their efforts to further this priority going forward, which is front and center in the national dialogue today. We look forward to working with both USTR and Congress to ensure that this text serves not as a precedent but a launching pad for future negotiations toward a framework that works for everyone in the digital marketplace, including creators.”
