Once-Secret ACTA Copyright Treaty Approved By EU 255
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.'"
background and swpats (Score:5, Informative)
Background info:
http://en.swpat.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement_overview [swpat.org]
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 [swpat.org]
Re:Cool! (Score:5, Informative)
Quoting from Christian Engstroms blog [wordpress.com]:
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.
Re:Cool! (Score:5, Informative)
Planned? Hasn't it happened in the UK?
Re:Banning FOSS? Can't happen soon enough (Score:4, 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.
Re:A law that has been passed... (Score:5, Informative)
They still riot in the streets against perceived injustice in Europe.
Re:Been there already (Score:3, Informative)
It's interesting that you bring the church up as an obstacle to new ideas, research and technology when it was the church that created the very university system that is used to spread new ideas, research and technology (along with the modern court system, hospitals, etc.). Not that I am an apologist for the church (big C or little c), but I do think that if one is to spout off, they should at least get their facts straight.
Re:Was voting anonymous? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Cool! (Score:3, Informative)
Christian Democrat = Republican (Score:3, Informative)
The European Parliament just narrowly failed to adopt a joint resolution demanding that the Commission should clarify and assess the consequences of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement ACTA. The numbers were 306 in favour, 322 against, and 26 abstentions. The resolution had been put forward by the Green group (including the Pirate Party), the Social Democrats, the Liberals and the Left. A resolution from the Green group (where I was one of the co-signatories) was also defeated. Instead, an alternative resolution by the Christian Democrat group EPP and the Conservative group was carried. This resolution basically welcomes what the negotiators have been doing so far, without placing any specific demands on the Commission for further clarifications or assessments.
http://christianengstrom.wordpress.com/2010/11/24/acta-resolution-failed/ [wordpress.com]
basically, these kind of right wing capitalist parties everywhere, are those stripping any freedoms if any profits at stake. this includes any kind of constitutional indispensable, unalienable amendments.
way to go. and there are still morons who are defending the philosophies of those zygotes. im sure a few will pop into comment after this post. its not like they 'know' that those philosophies will work. its that they WANT them to work, despite it havent worked at any point in human history, for the benefit of the average citizen.