US embassy cable - 05ASUNCION481

UNCLAS ASUNCION 000481 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC, EB/IPE 
STATE PASS TO USTR FOR SCRONIN, LYANG 
USAID FOR AA/LAC ADOLFO FRANCO 
TREASURY FOR OSIA MAUREEN WAFER 
COMMERCE ITA SARAH COOK 
NSC FOR MIKE DEMPSEY 
SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD 
US SOUTHERN COMMAND MIAMI, FLORIDA 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, EFIN, ETRD, KIPR, OIIP, PA, WIPO 
SUBJECT: PARAGUAY: WIPO SESSION ON IPR AND DEVELOPMENT 
 
REF: 05 State 47851 
 
1.  (U) Sensitive but unclassified - protect accordingly. 
 
2.  (SBU) On March 31, Econ Chief delivered reftel demarche 
to the GOP's Director General of Intellectual Property, 
Astrid Weiler.  Ms. Weiler, who has been a very effective 
advocate of intellectual property rights in Paraguay, said 
that she does not support Brazil's proposal, and will 
personally attend the meetings in Geneva.  Brazil pressured 
her to support its proposal, but she said she questions 
Brazil's motives.  She and many other Paraguayans resent the 
sudden and strong enforcement efforts being applied by 
Brazil along the border, especially with respect to Ciudad 
del Este in the tri-border region.  The Ministry of Industry 
and Commerce (MIC) has been trying to obtain IPR enforcement 
cooperation from Brazil for well over a year with little 
success, for example with information sharing on the mostly 
Brazilian buyers of the millions of blank CDs and DVDs 
imported into Paraguay. 
 
3.  Ms. Weiler also agreed with many of the US arguments 
against the Brazilian proposal.  She commented that the 
Minister of Industry and Commerce, for whom she works, 
agrees and that they had discussed preparing talking points 
for President Duarte in case Brazilian President Lula were 
to call. 
 
KEANE