the north american free trade agreement (nafta) was a trade agreement between mexico, the united states, and canada. the agreement was signed by u.s. president george h.w. bush, canadian prime minister brian mulroney, and mexican president carlos salinas on december 17, 1992 in san antonio, texas, and took effect on january 1, 1994. it removed taxes on products traded between the united states, canada, and mexico. it also protects copyrights, patents, and trademarks between those three countries. it was updated with the north american agreement on environmental cooperation, which helped set more environment regulations and helped reduce pollution. it was also updated with the north american agreement for labor cooperation, which helped people fight for better work conditions.