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EFF and PK Reluctantly Drop Lawsuit For ACTA Info

Posted by kdawson on from the ours-to-know-and-yours-to-find-out dept.

mikesd81 notes a press release on the EFF website that begins "The Obama Administration's decision to support Bush-era concealment policies has forced the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Public Knowledge (PK) to drop their lawsuit about the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). Federal judges have very little discretion to overrule Executive Branch decisions to classify information on 'national security' grounds, and the Obama Administration has recently informed the court that it intends to defend the classification claims originally made by the Bush Administration. ... Very little is known about ACTA, currently under negotiation between the US and more than a dozen other countries, other than that it is not limited to anti-counterfeiting measures. Leaked documents indicate that it could establish far-reaching customs regulations governing searches over personal computers and iPods. Multi-national IP corporations have publicly requested mandatory filtering of Internet communications for potentially copyright-infringing material, as well as the adoption of 'Three Strikes' policies requiring the termination of Internet access after repeat allegations of copyright infringement, like the legislation recently invalidated in France. Last year, more than 100 public interest organizations around the world called on ACTA country negotiators to make the draft text available for public comment."

6 of 150 comments (clear)

  1. National Security? by grahammm · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How can the non-disclosure of the terms of an international treaty be justified on national security grounds?

    1. Re:National Security? by Ocker3 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      because if we knew what they were putting in it, we'd start protesting like it's Tehran?

  2. Change... by santax · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I could use some :(

  3. Re:WTF by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Oh, it will be made public. About 5 seconds before the vote so nobody, not even the senators (or congressmen, I don't know which is responsible for that in the US legislation) can read it. Or act against it. Or at least point out to those that should vote for or against it where the pits lie.

    Bluntly and honestly, if I was a politician, I'd be strongly against it on these grounds alone. If a law is suggested with so much secrecy, it can only mean that I'm going to be bullshitted into voting on something that I won't support.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  4. Re:Anti-Internet Freedom Agreement by pallmall1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ACTA will mandate software patents, criminalization of copyright infringements, censorship lists, data retention.

    You don't really think Big Media supports Obama for free, now do you?

    --
    3 things about computers: they're alive, they're self-aware, and they hate your guts.
  5. Re:Still fighting? by Meneth · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Out victory may be inevitable, but the war isn't over yet. Until it is, it will continue to do damage.