More Countries React To ACTA; Brazil Says ACTA Is Illegitimate

from the act-now dept

Thu, Oct 14th 2010 7:06pm — Mike Masnick

We've already covered how the EU Parliament is skeptical of ACTA. Ditto the Mexican Senate. In the US, which will undoubtedly sign the agreement, at least some politicians are asking questions about the document. Now news is coming out in a few other countries as well. Down in Australia, unlike in the US, they're planning to go through a full scrutiny process involving the Parliament and the public. On the flipside, it sounds like Singapore can't sign the document fast enough.

Of course, what may be most interesting is how countries who are not a part of the negotiations feel about this. Many people feel that the whole ACTA process was set up outside of WIPO and the WTO in order to avoid having to deal with the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), which are all developing rapidly, and have a very different viewpoint on intellectual property than the countries involved in the negotiations. So, it's interesting to see that Brazil has already slammed the agreement (Google translation from the original Portuguese). A Brazilian official said that the agreement was not legitimate, negotiated by a closed group without considering all of the issues at play.

ACTA negotiators have said that they hoped, after their own countries agreed to sign onto ACTA, that the BRIC countries would follow down the road. Of course, if they wanted that to happen, perhaps they should have asked them to join the discussions. But, what would that accomplish, since the goal appears to have been to keep many stakeholders out of the negotiations, rather than being inclusive.

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Filed Under: acta, australia, brazil, negotiations, signapore

12 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 14 Oct 2010 @ 9:30pm

ACTA is not about finding common ground is about creating the perfect conditions to force others to fallow and the U.S. wonders why nobody like to do business with them.

But the funny part is that the Asian nations involved really want this agreement because they are confident they will murder the competition coming out from the U.S., they will turn this agreement into something every American will regret even the rich.
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fogbugzd (profile), 14 Oct 2010 @ 9:41pm

Doesn't matter
I don't think it matters if the only two signers end up being the US and Singapore. The IP industry will still insist that we need to meet our international obligations and pass draconian laws.
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- Christopher (profile), 16 Oct 2010 @ 10:48am
  
  Re: Doesn't matter
  There is no such thing as 'international obligations' other than making murder, physically attacking someone else, forcible rape and actually STEALING PHYSICAL PROPERTY illegal.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Oct 2010 @ 10:09pm

China wants this law badly in order to ensure it can pass anti western laws like the one that made google leave china. The entire system is built on the fact that they steal everything from the US and only protect there own.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Oct 2010 @ 10:39pm

I guess we missed a real opportunity many years ago to involve all stakeholders when we failed to extend an invitation to the USSR to participate in the negotiations leading to the formation of NATO.
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- Anonymous Coward, 14 Oct 2010 @ 11:54pm
  
  Re:
  Ah, yes, the copyright industry does think it is at war with anyone who disagrees with them, so I suppose your stupid analogy (at least it wasn't about a car) has some useful meaning.
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abc gum, 15 Oct 2010 @ 5:27am

ACTA = anti trade agreement?

What is the C for ?
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- Anonymous Coward, 15 Oct 2010 @ 6:04am
  
  Re:
  Commerce.
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- Perplexed, 15 Oct 2010 @ 11:34pm
  
  Re:
  In 2003, INTERPOL linked counterfeit goods to terrorist financing. The history and true reasoning behind the initial Name and goals of this whole proposal has been convoluted and twisted by RIAA, MPAA and their affiliates. to gain control over the internet and be able to invade not only privacy but to also limit the freedom of the internet.
  
  Original Interpol report >The links between intellectual property crime and terrorist financing http://www.interpol.int/public/ICPO/speeches/SG20030716.asp
  
  Note the Recommendations at the bottom have now been totally twisted to not be reacting for Terrorist funding but now to be able to go after any one for any even slight violation Thanks to RIAA, MPAA, and other such special interest groups.
  
  Here is an article also from 2004 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000528473 Showing the Hollywood Report and both MPAA and RIAA/s presidents responses.
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- Anonymous Coward, 19 Oct 2010 @ 4:41am
  
  Re: ACTA
  Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement
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Hephaestus (profile), 15 Oct 2010 @ 7:44am

Cool Beans ...
"the whole ACTA process was set up outside of WIPO and the WTO in order to avoid having to deal with the BRIC countries"

That by itself should make the whole thing invalid.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Oct 2010 @ 8:05am

@7
no the whole purpose was to give the usa some kind of future economy in screwign the world over for a world wide tax on somehting they have no business doing.

THUS you wont see it happen and even in this attempt i hope it cost the "industry" millions to gt no where
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