ACTA May Pass Through Back Door - Update

Since the EU Parliament has soundly defeated the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), supporters in the EU have reportedly decided to employ a sneaky-bastard tactic to get ACTA enacted.

According to recently leaked documents, the EU plans to use the Canada - EU Trade Agreement (CETA), which is nearing its final stages of negotiation, as a backdoor mechanism to implement the ACTA provisions.

The CETA IP chapter has already attracted attention due to EU pharmaceutical patent demands that could add billions to provincial health care costs, but the bigger story may be that the same chapter features a near word-for-word replica of ACTA.

According to the leaked document, dated February 2012, Canada and the EU have already agreed to incorporate many of the ACTA enforcement provisions into CETA, including the rules on general obligations on enforcement, preserving evidence, damages, injunctions, and border measure rules. One of these provisions even specifically references ACTA.

Frankly, I'm not surprised. Bureaucrats should never be trusted.

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ACTA Rejected by European Parliament
[Previous 7/4/12 post]




(Strasbourg, France) A majority of the members of the European Parliament (MEPs) has voted down the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) which was ostensibly proposed to protect copyright.

Opponents contend that the legislation would deny freedom of speech on the Internet.

The proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is aimed at protecting copyright over a wide range of industries.

ACTA would require signatory states to impose draconian restrictions on online privacy in the drive to eradicate content piracy and the sale of counterfeit branded goods through the internet.

The main focus of criticism was targeting the impact it would cause to internet freedom.

Interesting, Europe is standing up for freedom of speech -- on July 4th.