The EU Commission Tries To Defend ACTA And Fails Miserably
from the shocking dept
We've already discussed the many, many concerns that people have that ACTA will go against current US law (though, it appears that negotiators have put in enough weasel words that they can pretend it doesn't until a later date when the laws need to be updated). It seems that something similar is happening in Europe. A bunch of academics had written a letter to the EU Commission earlier this year, pointing out the many, many (sometimes serious) conflicts with EU law and the final draft of ACTA. Recently, the EU Commission responded (pdf). However, as pointed out by Slashdot, an analysis of the response by Ante Wessels shows that The EU Commission appears to lack basic reading skills.Basically, as with the US analysis, the issue is that ACTA is dreadfully drafted, in such a way that many parts are vague or overly broad. This allows ACTA supporters to claim that there are ways to work around anything that people complain about -- but in this case, part of the complaints was that the broadness and vagueness meant that it went beyond current EU law. The EU's response was more or less to repeat the lie that the broad and vague definitions would mean countries could do their own thing and remain in compliance.
Basically, it looks like ACTA supporters on both sides of the Atlantic are now using this kind of strategy. When people confront you on something specific, point to the vague and broad language and pretend that the specific issues are solved by that. When people point to the problems with broad and vague language, insist that there's nothing to worry about. What a debacle.
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This one goes to eleven.
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The threat from ACTA and copyright is clear, it deprives people from freedom, undermining all other freedoms.
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Thanks.
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If this is repeated enough times perhaps some will start to believe it is true.
Those of us, however, who have followed the negotiations and vetted the proposed provisions against the US Copyright Law have arrived at a different conclusion. There as, of course, some who may disagree. Where their claims fall short is they have not as yet articulated specific, current, irreconcileable provisions vis a vis US law. "Maybe" is not "is". "Might" is not "does". Etc.
Perhaps there are issues that lurk in the background that have not percolated to the surface, but as of this date no definitive issues have surfaced.
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Yah right that is going to happen.
People should be very, very aware of things that diminish their freedoms and ACTA is just it.
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Okay, imagine this scenario:
ACTA is enabled in the EU. Silvio Berlusconi accuses his opponents in the media market of copyright infringement (Youtube etc.) Berlusconi takes them to court and wins again and again; because of ACTA, Berlusconi doesn't NEED to re-write laws to win, as he has done in the past.
This is going to happen,whether you'vve accounted for it or not. This is going to make the UK superinjunctions look like 2+2=4.
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Hilarious to see you inadvertently prove my point for me.
Sad, though, that you don't realize you're doing so.
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Pathetic. Troll harder.
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Switch the Employees around
So then you will get a treaty that is detailed and specific and expected to be followed to the letter of the law. On the other side, airport security will take on a more relaxed "we're watching but nothing's happened yet, so we're not that worried" attitude.
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Corrupted political class
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Paraphrasing
Opinion: These provisions suck - they are overly broad and taking the broad interpretation they violate EU law.
Commission: Ah, but there's that word "may" in there. We don't have to do that bit so that's OK.
Opinion: Yeah, but we've seen this stuff before once it's agreed there will be a major push to make sure the broadest interpretation is used. It's happened, like, EVERY time something like this is done, so it's the effect of broadest interpretation that should be considered.
Commission: Well yes... but that's a political question not a legal one so right now we can politically pretend it's not going to happen and totally ignore you. Ha ha ha
What a crock.
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If this is the case why have the "agreement" at all?
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I AM a thoughtful citizen who wants sensible IP laws. The IP laws haven't been within driving distance of sensible for many years and the public domain is steadily being eroded by increasingly lengthy copyright terms that mean fewer things enter the public domain and more and more broad interpretations that allow corporations to gobble up and re-lock up things already in the public domain. I don't have a problem with someone having a somewhat better chance to be paid for something they did, I do have a problem with someone else who did nothing expecting to still be paid for it 70 years after they are dead.
So yes, anything that has even the chance of stretching an already ludicrous situation further bothers me very much. As does the US politicians using secret backroom deals, bullying and bribery to get their way with other governments and trample over the rights of people in other countries as well as its own in order to protect the corporations that pay them most.
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