USMCA Takes Effect

(Image credit: IronHeart via Getty Images)

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) took full effect Wednesday (July 1).

The agreement includes digital trade provisions that tech companies say appropriately promote cross-border data flows and storage.

Social media platforms will continue to be held harmless for third-party content on their websites under the agreement, though according to the compromise, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and other Dems, had wanted it scrubbed.

Language in the USMCA maintains that the civil liability carve-out "enhances the economic viability of these engines of growth that depend on user interaction and user content."  

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) was applauding the milestone.

“The Motion Picture Association congratulates President Trump, Ambassador Lighthizer, and leaders from Mexico and Canada for entry into force of the USMCA," said MPA Chairman Charles Rivkin. "The film and television industry accounted for $16.3 billion in exports last year alone, and registers a positive trade balance in every major market in the world. As this agreement begins to take full force, we will have better tools to address the global threat of piracy while also facilitating the growth of the legal, digital market for creative content. We look forward to working with the governments to ensure the full and effective implementation of all intellectual property and market access commitments under the agreement, while continuing to further improve protections for creators in today’s constantly evolving digital landscape.”

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.