News - Acta: Key EU votes due on controversial piracy treaty. 31 May 2012Last updated at 12:58 GMT By Dave Lee Technology reporter After the votes the European Parliament will have the final say on the future of Acta Three key EU committees have voted against the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (Acta).
The treaty, which aims to curb piracy, was rejected by committees tasked with assessing its legality and impact on civil liberties and industry. To date 22 member states, including the UK, have signed the treaty - but it is yet to be formally ratified. The European Parliament will make its final decision on Acta in July. POWER TO THE POSTER. EU signs ACTA, global internet censorship treaty. Today, the European Union and 22 member states signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
They have now joined the US and seven other nations that signed the treaty last October. This signing ceremony merely formalized the EU’s adoption of ACTA last month, during a completely unrelated meeting on agriculture and fisheries, reports TechDirt. Though initiated by the US, Japan is the official depository of the treaty. Removal of the Three Strikes clause, in which users accused of three counts of piracy would be barred from the internet, paved the way for the EU to adopt ACTA last month. Related to ACTA, a chapter in the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) “would have state signatories adopt even more restrictive copyright measures than ACTA,” reports the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Why we need a sound Do-Not–Track standard for privacy online « Digital Agenda Commissioner – Neelie Kroes. Firewall Law Could Infringe on Free Speech. 1% own social media companies while 99% of the world add “VALUE” « « MyWeku MyWeku.