GATS and Trade in Audio-Visuals

The history of negotiations on trade in audio-visuals (AV) at GATS has been complicated with some countries belonging to the EU, France in particular, and Canada adopting a â??cultural exception' clause and calling for trade in AV to be treated differently from trade in other goods and services. The US, as the pre-eminent producer of mass mediated culture, has taken a pro-trade line. India, which is a producer of cultural commodities in its own right, has been forced to open its doors to US film industry not only as a result of GATS, but also as a result of Section 301 measures taken by the USTR.