The European Commission published the draft of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), currently in its eighth round of negotiation, to allay concerns raised by digital rights advocates that the plan could harm consumers.

ACTA is a trade agreement between nearly a dozen governments or authorities aimed at improving standards in the enforcement of intellectual property rights and curtailing trade in fake or pirated goods, such as music, movies and pharmaceuticals.

Because the agreement has been drawn up behind closed doors, rights advocates feared it might contain overly tight or harmful clauses.

Critics say the proposed deal could allow customs agents to confiscate laptops and music devices such as iPods and MP3 players if they suspected they contained illegal downloads. Others worry it could restrict sales of generic drugs.

“This text shows that the overall objective of ACTA is to address large-scale infringements of intellectual property rights which have a significant economic impact,” the commission said in a statement.

“ACTA will by no means lead to a limitation of civil liberties or to ‘harassment’ of consumers.”

The US, the European Commission, Switzerland and Japan began negotiations over ACTA in 2007. Since then, countries including Australia, Canada, Morocco, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and the UAE have joined.

The commission, which is in charge of trade policy for the 27-nation EU, said no party to the proposed deal had suggested that governments should introduce a compulsory “three strikes” rule to fight copyright infringements and internet piracy.