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Once-Secret ACTA Copyright Treaty Approved By EU

Posted by timothy on from the three-strikes-you-suck dept.

itwbennett writes "By a vote of 331 to 294, the EU Parliament has approved the controversial and once-secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). According to an ITworld article, 'the most controversial paragraph in the final text leaves the door open for countries to introduce the so-called three-strikes rule. This would cut Internet users off if they download copyright material as national authorities would be able to order ISPs to disclose personal information about customers.... The proposed agreement would also place sanctions against any device or software that is marketed as a means of circumventing access controls such as encryption or scrambling that are designed to prevent copying. It also requires legal measures against knowingly using such technology.'"

6 of 255 comments (clear)

  1. background and swpats by ciaran_o_riordan · · Score: 4, Informative

    Background info:

    http://en.swpat.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement_overview

    On the software patent problems (or patents "in the Digital Environment"), it seems most or maybe all have been fixed (provided the the signatory uses the Section II option of excluding patents from that section) but a thorough reading is still needed:

    http://en.swpat.org/wiki/ACTA_and_software_patents

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  2. Re:Cool! by tenchikaibyaku · · Score: 5, Informative
    Although I hold no real hope that ACTA will be shot down, the summary is - as far as I can see - at best misleading.
    Quoting from Christian Engstroms blog:

    This was a defeat, but it is far from the final word on the issue. The resolution has no formal effect at all, but is merely an expression of how the Parliament feels.

  3. Re:Cool! by emkyooess · · Score: 4, Informative

    Planned? Hasn't it happened in the UK?

  4. Re:Banning FOSS? Can't happen soon enough by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 3, Informative

    Yes, yes, I know it was really "linux distros and public domain music/movies" you were torrenting not the latest Hollywood movie and Miley Cyrus CD *wink* *wink*

    I am 105% certain that when I pipe the latest Debian DVD into my sound card, it will sound much better than the latest Miley Cyrus CD.

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  5. Re:A law that has been passed... by Nadaka · · Score: 4, Informative

    They still riot in the streets against perceived injustice in Europe.

  6. Re:Was voting anonymous? by king+neckbeard · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://votewatch.eu/cx_vote_details.php?id_act=1189&lang=en Found it

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