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Concerns About ACTA In EU, Canada

Elektroschock writes "An EU document on the Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty was leaked. The main purpose of the trade agreement is to impose the European enforcement measures for IPR infringements on the US and emerging economies, widen the enforcement measures to include criminal sanctions for patent infringements, and introduce internet content filtering measures. Civil society groups such as the FFII criticize the ACTA process because negotiation documents are not made publicly available by the governments. The EU document ('fact sheet') from the EU Trade Commissioner explicitly mentions: 'Internet distribution and information technology — e.g. mechanisms available in EU E-commerce Directive of 2000, such as a definition of the responsibility of internet service providers regarding IP infringing content.'" And an anonymous reader adds Michael Geist's push for more transparency around ACTA negotiations in Canada.

13 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. USA Controls The World by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    This is just another instance of the US trying to control everyone and everything in the world. Someone needs to put a stop to it, but that wont happen.

    http://www.p2ptechtime.com

    1. Re:USA Controls The World by MicktheMech · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The citizens who are today voting for one of the two major parties? You're all just as guilt for towing the line. Don't try to weasel out of it.

    2. Re:USA Controls The World by tsm_sf · · Score: 2, Insightful

      But weaseling out of things is what separates us from the animals!

      --
      Literalism isn't a form of humor, it's you being irritating.
  2. On a somewhat related note: by Smidge207 · · Score: 0, Insightful

    I've been considering making a Firefox extension, or a greasemonkey script, to filter attention whore articles, such as those about Jack Thompson, Uwe Boll, John Dvorak, or those submitted by Roland. Filtering kdawson would be good too. Unfortunately, I have no experience writing extensions or greasemonkey scripts for Firefox.

    On the other hand, if we filtered all of the stories that we complain about on Slashdot, there would be nothing left. Then where would we waste our time?

    =Smidge=

    --
    Is it just my observation, or is eldavojohn an idiot?
  3. Resist IP, resist the government. by tjstork · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The only way to save yourselves is to the industry where it hurts and not spend a dime on any sort of music or movie. Let them eat air!

    --
    This is my sig.
    1. Re:Resist IP, resist the government. by kent_eh · · Score: 4, Insightful

      *phone rings*
      "Hello Senator Bedfellow's office"
      "Hi, this is Bob from the RIAA. We need another new law. People aren't buying as much stuff from us as we would like since the last law we paid you for.."

      --

      ---
      "I can't complain, but sometimes still do..." Joe Walsh
  4. The cure by symbolset · · Score: 2, Insightful

    All patents and copyrights shall be for a period of fifteen minutes, with no renewals.

    --
    Help stamp out iliturcy.
  5. About time!!! by syousef · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Everyone knows that murder, assault, rape, theft of tangible goods, and even child pornography are just petty crimes that we waste a lot of money enforcing. The real crimes we should be targeting are those which involve Intellectual Property and may even possibly have an impact on company profit margins through such things as lost potential sales, or the inability to overcharge by virtue of an artificial monopoly, or restrict use to what is most convenient to a company. How can even a million human lives compare to a potential lost sale? IP crimes are so heinous we should be bringing back the death penalty and torture. I say anyone who backs up their DVDs should be put to death!!!

    In case anyone has failed to detect the sarcasm above, I believe our society is becoming one twisted piece of SHIT and the IP legislators are leading the way to hell.

    --
    These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
  6. Only about commercial piracy??? by PontifexPrimus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The Commission, on the other hand, has warned against alarmist scenarios. It emphasises that ACTA is about tackling large scale criminal activity, not about limiting civil or consumer rights.

    I really, really hate stuff like this. Why doesn't anyone call the industry on this? Whenever I hear "but it won't be used against small-scale infringers" I want to shout at them THEN FUCKING PUT IT IN THERE! Put it in writing, in the treaty / law / whatever, that it can't be used if fewer than 200 files are shared. Spell it out that you won't prosecute anyone who possesses less than a quarter of his whole movie collection as illegal downloads.

    Two reasons why we should not accept wishy-washy talk like this:

    • This will have the force of a law, and I want to be able to interpret laws myself, so I know if / when I'm breaking them.
    • The other one is to show the disconnect between what the media industry thinks is acceptable, and what the average citizen thinks is acceptable; I'd bet if forced to define their limits honestly the media conglomerates would have to explain their definitions as "non-commercial infringer: person with one or two illegally acquired mp3-files, either through downloads or by format conversion from a cd; large-scale commercial infringer: everything beyond that, including redistributing even a fraction of a file when downloading from a P2P service".

    Why can people like that get away with blatant lies like that time and time again?

    --
    -- Language is a virus from outer space.
  7. Another nail in the coffin by 99luftballon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The ACTA saga rolls on. One bonus of stories like this is that it shows how worried the participants are by the attention they are receiving. This after all was supposed to be pushed through on the QT.

    Note the special pleading going on - we will not search your iPod, it's just an augmentation of existing regulations etc. No mention of the fact they are still presuming guilt on the part of the consumer and are asking for unprecedented intrusion into individuals personal data.

    The fact is this is a treaty designed by copyright holders to give them more powers to protect their IP at the expense of everyone else. No doubt the provisions will be used against major traffickers of stolen IP but they will also be used against individuals by overzealous companies too.

  8. Re:Exaggerating? Nay, sensationalizing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    who - within the U.S. - do you figure are the driving forces behind the darn thing?

    Time Warner, News Corp, Sony, Walt Disney Co. made the largest donations to the US senators pushing this.

  9. This is what bugs me... by unkaggregate · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I work in a video production company that makes promotional videos for schools and lately the stuff they say: more school hours and higher standards for our "Global Knowledge Based Economy" bugs me, especially when seen against laws like this where violating some stupid patent has such severe consequences. If what is planned out is what I think it is, a lot of kids that go through this "feel good knowledge based economy" bullshit are going to have a very rude awakening when they're older.

    Coincidentally notice that what the schools teach tend to be so narrow in scope regarding technology, as if to ensure the resourceful hackers of yesteryear never happen again.

    Coincidence?

  10. So.......I'm kind of lost here....... by Anachragnome · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It appears, to me, that somebody wants people to stop using the internet for various purposes that might be in contradiction to their financial goals. They claim they are losing money.

    So, once they get what they want, and the internet is no longer a means of the free exchange of ideas, information, etc, what the FUCK do they think is going to happen?

    Hmmm...maybe people will stop using it? And what happens to all the corporations that make THEIR money from the internet? Are they going to stand there and let it happen?

    From my point of view, this "war" against copyright infringers is going to blow the whole damn boat out of the water. Right now, it is a war against "us", when it should really be a war between those corporations. A lot of people(read, companies) other then "us" supposed copyright violators stand to lose a lot of money, and I am not talking about the copyright holders.

    Where are THEIR voices, on this matter?