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 TRIPS Agreement and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994. On March 31, 2006, the EU published a revised GI Regulation that is intended to comply with the DSB recommendations and rulings. There remain some concerns, however, with respect to this revised GI Regulation, which the United States has asked the EU to address, and the United States intends to continue monitoring this situation. The United States is also working intensively through bilateral and multilateral fora to advance U.S. market access interests, and to ensure that the trade initiatives of other countries, including with respect to GIs, do not undercut our market access.

Interagency Trade Enforcement Center

In his State of the Union address on January 24, 2012, President Obama announced the creation of the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center (ITEC). Thereafter, on February 28, 2012, the President issued an Executive Order that established the ITEC. The ITEC will serve as the primary forum within the federal government for USTR and other agencies to coordinate enforcement of obligations under international trade agreements, which can include the identification of unfair trade practices and barriers that involve IPR. 24