The ACTA treaty (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement), which was initially expected to be approved by the European parliment, has faltered in that region with several countries delaying ratification or expressing doubts about the treaty following protests. ACTA suffered further setbacks today when it was rejected by three committees in the European Parliament.
The three committees were: the legal affairs, industry and civil liberties committees, all of whom expressed their disapproval of the treaty. The European Parliament trade committee still needs to weigh in before the entire European Parliament votes on its acceptance. At the moment ACTA looks like it is in trouble.
ACTA is designed to enforce international standards for policing copyright infringement, encompassing action against counterfeit goods and medicines under its banner, but opponents to the treaty have claimed that it oversteps its aims and poses a threat to freedom on the internet. Several European countries such as Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic have already backed away from the treaty, with a vote in the Dutch parliament yesterday all but adding the Netherlands to that list as well.
Pirate Party founder Rick Falkvinge wrote in a blog post, “What happened today was the first step in a long chain that ends with the final vote in all of the European Parliament, which is the vote where ACTA ultimately lives or dies. If it is defeated on the floor of the European Parliament, then it’s a permakill. Boom, headshot.”
Source: Ars Technica
