Slashdot Mirror
Experts Say ACTA Threatens Public Interest
langelgjm writes "In the lead up to next week's Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations in Lucerne, a conference that drew over 90 academics and experts from six continents has released a statement issuing a harsh condemnation of both the substance and process of the agreement. Held last week at American University's Washington College of Law, the attendees say, 'We find that the terms of the publicly released draft of ACTA threaten numerous public interests, including every concern specifically disclaimed by negotiators.' The 'urgent communique' covers more than the usual ACTA topics of interest on Slashdot: in addition to the agreement's effect on the Internet, it also considers the effects on access to medicines, international trade, and developing countries. Meanwhile, Public Knowledge has an action alert where you can send a note to the White House expressing your opposition to ACTA."
Well, according to the Canadian government, those "experts" are just radical extremists who pretend to care about copyright. If you are against copyright bills, you are a terrorist.
The question is not whether ACTA is in the public interest, but whether it's in the collective interest of those empowered to enact it. It's safe to assume that with the supporters of ACTA in control of a lot of cash and the majority of television airtime, the folks in power are very likely not giving a rat's behind what these professors and petitions are saying.
I am officially gone from
Developing countries and other countries that aren't included in the ACTA meetings aren't just sitting by.
Attention... all grammer nazi"s! Is they're anything; wrong with: my post,
What I am saddened by the most is that this would end up being a Executive Treaty because it doesn't come into conflict with out pre-existing laws. /cry
This kind of bullshit is not going to stop. It's going to get worse for the rest of our lives. Eventually, they will push it too far and all of these assholes are going to wake up with a rope around their neck and discover themselves dangling from the nearest tree. ACTA is a great symbol for everything that's wrong with this world, and exterminating every one of the parasites who is participating in it would definitely make the world a better place.
In the meantime, we get to watch as they chip away at our civil liberties and systematically corrupt and dismantle one of the best innovations the human race has come up with -- a giant network for the free exchange of information. Aren't we lucky, those of us who witnessed its creation and over the next 15 to 20 years are most probably going to witness its downfall too.