The Verge - The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement: ACTA struggles to pass in Europe

EU Parliament rejects ACTA

2012-07-04T11:11:57Z

The European Parliament has today voted to reject the controversial anti-counterfeiting trade agreement (ACTA). The vote was staggeringly one-sided, with 478 votes against, 146 abstentions, and just 39 in favor. The 'no' vote essentially ends any chance of ACTA coming into effect in either the EU or its individual member states. Today's vote marks the first time that the European Parliament has exercised its Lisbon Treaty power to reject an international trade agreement.

ACTA fails to gain ITC approval, MEPs vote to reject controversial piracy treaty

2012-06-21T10:39:47Z

The controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has been rejected by the International Trade Committee. Made up of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), the committee voted 19 against and 12 in favor with no abstentions. The ITC vote will now act as a final recommendation to the European Parliament when it makes its final decision in early July. Many have expected ACTA to fail for some time now, and today's events make the parliament's decision almost a certainty.

The 'no' vote follows condemnation from other EU committees, the European Data Protection Supervisor, and Europe in general. Most complaints regarding ACTA stem from a perceived invasion of privacy in the proposed agreement. ACTA was conceived as a way to halt...

Three out of four EU committees vote against ACTA

2012-06-01T10:48:05Z

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has met with more disapproval in Europe. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will make a final decision on the agreement based on an International Trade Commission (ITC) recommendation. The ITC's decision will be influenced by four EU committees that focus on legal affairs, civil liberties, industry, and development respectively. Today the official EU website is reporting that the legal affairs, civil liberties, and development committees have all declined to approve the agreement.

Today's news is the latest in a string of failures for ACTA. After passing silently behind closed doors, the bill has been slammed by privacy advocates, which lead to the European Court of Justice launching...

Dutch legislature takes stand against Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

2012-05-29T21:04:03Z

Dutch legislators have adopted a motion asking their government not to sign the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, an anti-piracy treaty that critics say threatens online freedom. Previously, the government had said it would not sign unless the European Court of Justice found that ACTA did not violate any other EU rights and laws, but this motion is a stronger sign of opposition occurring shortly after the Netherlands became the first European country to adopt a formal net neutrality law. Since the law also included privacy provisions for users, it's not surprising that the Netherlands would oppose the "highly intrusive" treaty.

Although the European Council approved ACTA, the treaty has sparked widespread protests in some countries,...

ACTA unlikely to happen, says European Commissioner

2012-05-07T10:43:05Z

Neelie Kroes, The European Commissioner for Digital Agenda, said in a speech on Friday that the controversial ACTA bill was unlikely to come into effect. ACTA is a trade agreement that aims to eliminate the international exchange of counterfeit goods and pirated material. It has been signed by 22 of the 27 EU states, along with the US, Canada, Japan, and others, but must be approved by the EC to become European law. The trade agreement is currently being investigated by the European Court of Justice over concerns that its invasions of privacy are against European law. Kroes said that we are "likely to be in a world without SOPA and without ACTA," and we now need to "find solutions to make the Internet a place of freedom, openness, and...

ACTA 'highly intrusive' to individuals, says European Data Protection Supervisor

2012-04-24T13:11:47Z

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has given an opinion in his official capacity on ACTA, an anti-counterfeiting trade agreement which has been criticized for its potential to invade an individual's privacy. ACTA is an international treaty that has been signed by, among others, the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and 22 of the 27 EU member states. It's concerned with stemming the flow of illegal goods, both tangible and digital, between nations. The EDPS, an independent supervisory authority tasked with protecting the data and privacy of EU citizens, first raised his doubts over the legality of the agreement back in February 2010, long before the full proposal was made public. Assistant EDPS Giovanni...

ACTA sent to European Court of Justice over 'rights and freedoms' concerns

2012-02-22T22:40:48Z

The European Commission has announced plans to refer the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement to the European Court of Justice in order to assess its legality. The agreement was signed by the European Union and 22 member nations at the end of January, though countries including both Germany and Denmark have yet to sign in wake of public protests. ACTA has been compared to SOPA, with many worried that it will stifle internet freedom in an attempt to stop copyright infringement. In a statement, EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht said that bringing ACTA to the court will "allow for Europe's top court to independently clarify the legality of this agreement." De Gucht also believes that this move will "cut through the fog of...

Polish lawmakers protest ACTA with Anonymous Guy Fawkes masks

2012-01-27T13:57:43Z

When Poland signed the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement yesterday, lawmakers from the left-wing Palikot's Movement showed their dissatisfaction in an unusual way: by donning the Guy Fawkes masks popularized by the group Anonymous. Besides their association with a group known for protesting censorship and anti-piracy laws, the printed masks — which are ironically counterfeits of a design owned by Time Warner — are also a symbol of the kind of expression critics fear ACTA would suppress.

These politicians aren't the only ones in Poland protesting the decision. Poland was among the 22 European countries that signed the treaty yesterday, and dissent over ACTA has been widespread, with thousands of protesters taking to...