Growing Concern From European Officials Over ACTA

from the policy-laundering dept

It looks like a growing number of European politicians are fed up with the secrecy of ACTA, and don't like what they're hearing from the leaked documents, and they're starting to speak up, asking questions and airing their concerns. They're demanding the publication of the details of the negotiations, while worrying about anything that might push ISPs to kick people off the internet at a time when it's a key European goal to increase broadband access. There's also tremendous concern that ACTA is really a way for US companies to sneak desired legislation into Europe outside of the parliamentary process:
"ACTA is legislation laundering on an international scale, trying to covertly push through what could never be passed in most national parliaments"
The same statement pointed out that all of the lobbyists who had signed NDAs to see ACTA came from US companies and organizations -- and none from the EU. It makes you wonder why any other country would agree to ACTA at all...
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Filed Under: acta, copyright, europe, policy laundering, transparency


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  1. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 25 Feb 2010 @ 11:58pm

    You can only squeeze so many lemons before you start making Orange Juice

    Well, I'd be concerned too.

    Management of creatives has always been an issue. How do they ensure the distribution company makes a profit when they've already depressed creatives wages almost to the standard of living?

    Content industries have squeezed their lemon beyond anything that is recognizable.

    If you were to rewind back to Hollywood in the 1940s, you'll see that actors and artists lived as indentured servants. This ultimately lead to unionization, multiple guilds, as well as multiple levels of legally recognized royalties and rights, all recognized by the poor management capabilities.

    Now because they've squeezed their own employees in creative and otherwise so hard of every last possible cent for the sake of short-term profits, they can only see one way out- Start squeezing the consumers. This is what happened with RedBox. This is what is happening elsewhere. And this is what ACTA arrangement seeks to accomplish: creating a new level bondage that expands exclusivity to the consumer.

    The US Copyright System is the only system that provides negative rights to the consumer, and we who know about it in the US are pissed that it hasn't been reformed to the point that we're going to kick President Obama, his cronies, and Captain USTR Kirk out if he doesn't.

    There's no reason for Europe to adhere to ACTA.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 Feb 2010 @ 12:24am

    US to EU

    US to EU: Shut up and sign it, bitch, before I smack you up.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. icon
    mike allen (profile), 26 Feb 2010 @ 12:33am

    one point

    if no one is allowed to know what is in ACTA how can anyone know if they break the law.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 Feb 2010 @ 12:52am

    This is the incredible thing about content business

    IT'S ALREADY AN EFFICIENT BUSINESS. YOU CAN'T MAKE MORE MONEY FROM IT EXCEPT BY PROVIDING INCENTIVE FOR MORE TALENTED PEOPLE TO CREATE ART.

    In the world of Youtubes and where television stations now carry several channels, this doesn't seem to be really difficult to understand, so let me try:

    Wake up! Content exists. You're a distributor, and we taxpayers just paid for you to broadcast several channels now through the HD Conversion. So are your HD broadcast facilities that we tax payers levied for at capacity?

    What's that? "NO"?

    Well then, there's a GOD damned business opportunity just waiting for ya. Look at it before you renegotiate what the meaning of the word "is" is.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    TFP, 26 Feb 2010 @ 1:11am

    Please sir, can I have some more?

    You said, 'It makes you wonder why any other country would agree to ACTA at all... '

    Erm, maybe because the 'great' US of A has become the playground bully, perfectly happy to invade... er, 'free' any country with oil under the surface or who disagree with their policy.

    Maybe?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. icon
    Mike Masnick (profile), 26 Feb 2010 @ 1:59am

    Re: one point

    if no one is allowed to know what is in ACTA how can anyone know if they break the law.


    Heh, I believe the idea is that everyone gets to know what it is once it's *done* and can't be changed.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    kybpirate, 26 Feb 2010 @ 2:28am

    Online Petition for ACTA transparency:

    mike allen wrote:
    "if no one is allowed to know what is in ACTA how can anyone know if they break the law."

    Exactly, that's the problem: We find leaked documents and hints, but nobody knows for sure.
    That's why it should be opened to the public!


    Sign the petition at:

    http://www.stopp-acta.info

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    CommonSense, 26 Feb 2010 @ 5:20am

    Re: US to EU

    As an American, I hope the EU says "Fuck off" back.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    GREENFELD, 27 Feb 2010 @ 10:23am

    EUROPEAN

    I HAVE A SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR THE "EUROPEAN" THAT THE ARE DIGGING INTO . DEATH OF HAMAS ARAB MURDER .
    YOU THE EUROPEAN IN HISTORY OF 2.000 YEAR OF CIVILIZATION
    USE TO DISCRIMINATE AND MURDER JEWISH PEOPLE THE REASON IS VERY SIMPLE .WE ARE THE JEWS WEAK . YOU CAME TO JERUSALEM DESTROY OUR PAST ESTABLISH HATE ALL OVER THE WORLD WE THE ISRAELI DEFEND OURSELVES YOU EUROPEAN "COMMUNIST" "SOCIALIST" DONT LIKE THIS IDEA . YES ARAB TERRORIST DIE IN DUBAI SO WHAT .
    THE EUROPEAN THAT USE TO MURDER AND OCCUPIED OTHER PEOPLE ARE IN ARM .
    I KNOW FAR WELL THAT THE EUROPEAN LOOKING FOR ANY EXCUSE TO CUT RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL THEY THERT US WITH

    SANCTION IF THIS WHAT YOU WENT .GO A HEAD WE DONT AFFRAID FROM YOUR SANCTION.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2010 @ 6:23pm

    Re: EUROPEAN

    Yeah and that has what to do with ACTA??

    PS the ALL CAPS is just plain rude.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. icon
    Doge (profile), 28 Feb 2010 @ 7:53am

    ACTA and my protest

    I would like to say that I have taken some action about ACTA. I have blogged about it a number of times, I have written to my Member of the UK Parliament, with no reply! I have read a few of the leaked documents and tr=ied to gain sime understanding of what it has in mind.

    Don't forget that this is not a new issue, the World Trade Organisation has already some agreements about IP/rights protection and ACTA is an extension of this.

    We have to kick this out into the open.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. icon
    Danny (profile), 1 Mar 2010 @ 3:44pm

    ACTA so underreported, it is underreported

    I thought I'd mention...

    I got pinged last December to suggest "the top underreported stories of 2009" to Bill Snyder at InfoWorld.

    I contributed "secrecy of the ACTA process" as my main entry to his list. Alas, it didn't make his InforWorld Top Ten story: http://www.infoworld.com/t/tech-industry-analysis/top-underreported-tech-stories-2009-455

    ACTA secrecy remains underreported.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. icon
    wvhillbilly (profile), 1 Mar 2010 @ 9:21pm

    Re: Online Petition for ACTA transparency:

    Sorry, I don't understand German. Is there an English version?

    ACTA sucks.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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