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Yet Another European Government Drops ACTA

Posted by timothy on from the set-fire-to-the-paper-tiger dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The government of Bulgaria, which had already signed ACTA, yesterday reversed itself, and announced that it would not seek ratification of the treaty. This comes after similar moves by Poland, Germany and the Netherlands, and a weekend of massive protests against ACTA across the European continent."

20 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. Common sense by sadness203 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Everywhere but not in America!

    1. Re:Common sense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah but they underestimated that EU citizens are not fucking stupid, and doped up on high fructose corn syrup and anti-depressants.

    2. Re:Common sense by poity · · Score: 4, Informative

      Summary is not entirely correct. Germany, Poland, Netherlands did not also "drop" ACTA, they delayed proceeding on it in pursuit of further clarification. Their actions are not the same as Bulgaria's. There are still internal conflicts in the governments of those countries and ratification is still likely after amendment. I understand there is a desire on slashdot to portray an unstoppable tide of anti-ACTA sentiment in Europe, but we can't make up what we want.

      --
      your thin skin doesn't make me a troll
    3. Re:Common sense by Higgins_Boson · · Score: 5, Funny

      Back in MY day we didn't have high-fructose corn syrup and anti-depressants!

      No! All we had was cocaine, marijuana and LSD for our depression and nothing but pure, sweet honey harvested by Cuban children to tame our cravings for sweets.

  2. Thank you, Europe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    We in Canada thank you for being smarter than us. Our prime minister still has his nose up American corporate ass.

    1. Re:Thank you, Europe by Ironhandx · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Yes. We are.

      The Harper Government is putting heavy pressure on the CBC not to televise it. The other news interests are being pushed down by their corporate overlords.

      People in Ontario: This is what you have voted into our Canadian government. Even Ignatieff was better than this.

    2. Re:Thank you, Europe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm so sick of that argument.

      The conservatives only got 40% of the popular vote, so 60% of Canadians didn't want them to be in power....

      Ok, but look at the alternatives...

      30% voted for the NDP, that means 70% of Canadians didn't want them to be in power...
      19% voted for the Liberals, that means 81% of Canadians didn't want them to be in power...
      6% voted for the Bloc, that means 94% of Canadians didn't want them to be in power...
      4% voted for the Greens, that means 96% of Canadians didn't want them to be in power...

      Yes, I can understand that the "first past the post" riding system might cause a party that has less then 40% of the popular vote can still grab 54% of the seats, but look at the system in the US, it causes the same issues. 2000 election had Al Gore with 48.4% of the popular vote who lost to George Bush with 47.9%.

      So the party that had the largest percentage of people voting for them ended up forming the government and you are calling this Fascist? I think that might better suit a system where you write off the fact that the majority voted for one party and say they shouldn't be in power and that a less popular party should be in charge.

  3. TFA missing by CurryCamel · · Score: 5, Informative

    TFA is just a LMGTFY??
    This must be a new low.

    1. Re:TFA missing by Samantha+Wright · · Score: 4, Funny

      Here's a corrected link to the actual article.

      --
      Bio questions? Ask me to start a Q&A journal. Computer analogies available for most topics!
  4. Need non-EU contries to reject it to die. by pavon · · Score: 4, Informative

    It looks like ACTA is pretty much dead in the EU, as it will only enter into force if all the EU countries agree to it unanimously. However, it will still remain in force for the other signatories as long as at least 6 states sign it. So far United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea have all signed it, so at least three of those need to back out for the treaty to die completely.

    1. Re:Need non-EU contries to reject it to die. by mycroft16 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      With SOPA and PIPA, they were all the internet talked about for days leading up to the blackout... the word was effectively gotten out. With ACTA, no one is talking about it or what it means. We need that same level of dialogue. We need front page announcements on reddit, wikipedia, etc. PCIP is also a new one working through the House and Senate that involves creating a database of ip->customer mappings and tracking web history for 18 months to look for illegal activity. Not getting talked about either. We really need to keep up on what's going through Congress and other governmental agencies and kill them long before they are days from a vote. They shouldn't make it out of committees, or even into committees.

    2. Re:Need non-EU contries to reject it to die. by pavon · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Except that administration is claiming that they don't need senate confirmation to ratify the treaty. So the US will be counted among the 6 needed at least initially. Furthermore to be over-tuned in the courts, someone will have to show standing. Since ACTA does not require the implementation of any new laws in the US, that will be hard to do. The only thing I can think of is if a Senator sued because the treaty limited their ability to change the law. But even then I could see the courts denying standing, unless a law contradicting ACTA is actually passed.

  5. They are just bound and determined... by cayenne8 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    ...to take all the fun out of the internet.

    Man...glad I was here to see the wild west days of it back in '92-'93 and just after that.

    Then again, I remember going to the gates at airports to greet people as they got off the plane, and even before metal detectors going to the gates.

    Sigh...the US use to be a much more free place.

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  6. A word of caution by Maimun · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I am Bulgarian living in Bulgaria right now. I am as happy as any of you about the ditching of ACTA by our government. But! They change their minds twice a day. The position of the other European governments against ACTA, I think, is based (to a certain extent at least) on principles and integrity. Our government is silly, uninformed, clueless and it may easily jump back on the ACTA bandwagon if put under pressure. They were clearly ready to force the ratification of ACTA on the Parliament. What changed their minds was the protest wave -- the government are populist and easily bend before protests. However, they bend easily before anything. So, let's wait and see...

    1. Re:A word of caution by D,Petkow · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I am Bulgarian living in Bulgaria right now. I am as happy as any of you about the ditching of ACTA by our government. But! They change their minds twice a day. The position of the other European governments against ACTA, I think, is based (to a certain extent at least) on principles and integrity. Our government is silly, uninformed, clueless and it may easily jump back on the ACTA bandwagon if put under pressure. They were clearly ready to force the ratification of ACTA on the Parliament. What changed their minds was the protest wave -- the government are populist and easily bend before protests. However, they bend easily before anything. So, let's wait and see...

      the funniest thing is that the minister who took responsibility for signing the ACTA treaty early said on national television that he is under a lot of pressure to sign lots of paperwork everyday (around 100+ papers on a weekly basis) and he said quote "i'm sorry for not reading this document throughly, before accepting to sign it - my team of experts said it was nothing to qworry about it" They are truly clueless and they admit it, lulz.

  7. Dope! by zooblethorpe · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah but they underestimated that EU citizens are not fucking stupid, and doped up on high fructose corn syrup and anti-depressants.

    You forgot all the Adderall.

    C'mon, kids -- you know the schtick! Better Living Through Chemistry!

    (...goes and hides in his den and looks for that Canuckistan immigration packet...)

    --
    "What in the name of Fats Waller is that?"
    "A four-foot prune."
  8. Re:Wrong target by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They already tried that by telling me that downloading a couple of tracks from the Internet was equivalent to nicking a car. They then showed that piracy is masterminded by some half-naked medieval torturer with glowing red eyes and a red hot branding iron. Seems so fucking cool to me that I of course had to give it a try.

    It was disappointing, but I at least came away with some free music.

    --
    -- Using the preview button since 2005
  9. Internet vs Establishment. We are winning by __aawzag621 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It seems governments can't ignore us when we coordinate via the internet and represent the interests of internet users. Big changes are happening despite all of the govs trying to shut down the internet. We are living through serious history, interesting times.

  10. Actually, yes, in America too. by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 5, Informative

    I don't know how or why people have kept missing this, but the United States has not ratified ACTA either, and there is about zero chance it is going to.

    A U.S. representative signed it, but it was never ratified.

    Pull your heads out, folks.

  11. No surprise by StikyPad · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yeah, I don't think opposition from former Eastern Bloc countries like Bulgaria and Poland surprises anyone really, nor do I expect their dissent to convince any of the proponents to back down, particularly the US. On the contrary, I expect they'll use that to fuel their argument about the necessity of ACTA.

    Good to see Germany and the Netherlands opposing it though. The economic powerhouse of Germany cannot be ignored, and their opposition makes it politically easier for other countries to voice their dissent as well.

    --
    https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere