Washington, D.C. –House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today applauded the signing of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in Japan. Started in 2006 under the Bush administration, the agreement brings together countries to establish an effective international framework to combat global counterfeiting and piracy and better protect intellectual property. The negotiating countries include: Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland and the United States of America.