Romanian Prime Minister Admits He Has No Idea Why Romania Signed ACTA
from the us-pressure? dept
Here's a bizarre one. With Poland putting ACTA ratification on hold, and Slovenia apparently regretting its signature, now we've got Romania's Prime Minister, Emil Boc, admitting that he doesn't understand why the country signed ACTA. It appears that opposing politicians are criticizing the government and promising that they will suspend enforcement under ACTA until there are actual public hearings held on the matter. It really is quite amazing that the folks in the entertainment industry, who thought they could ram this through are now discovering how much they've awakened internet users across the globe ever since they shot for the moon with SOPA. ACTA has been on the table for years, and only a few of us "copyright geeks" were paying attention to it. But SOPA really made it clear to huge populations of people just how the entertainment industry seeks to restrict the internet through copyright law... and they're simply not going to take that any more. Update: And... um... just like that, he's no longer Prime Minister, offering up his resignation today.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
I wonder
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: I wonder
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: I wonder
You guys just don't understand! You have to pass the treaties/global laws before you can read what is in them. Jeesh, crony capitalism and bought politicians only work that way! It is the only way to keep us intellectually challenged trolls in power and keeps artists from realizing there is an easier, better way of getting noticed instead of going through us where we can rip them off.
/sarc
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: I wonder
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: I wonder
Yup, I like your version better. Someone needs to send Senator Pelosi a bill for violating your copyright/patent.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wonder
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: I wonder
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
http://www.stopp-acta.info/english
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Well know the public is hearing them and I bet the industry is not liking what is coming out of the public, every single person on earth hates them and wants the end of this nonsense even if it means the end of copyrights itself, nobody will come to defend them, nobody is rallying behind them.
And all of this was told to them in no uncertain terms, now they will have to live with the consequences of it, the public is another big hammer even bigger than the law and once it is target on something it will hit it until it is inline.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Hollywood could of kept on quietly adding victory after victory with treaties making IP terms longer and IP laws more enforced.
Komen could have kept on quietly appearing as a nonpartisan charity with no stance required on controversial issues like abortion.
Instead Hollywood awoke a sleeping giant with SOPA/PIPA, that alerted the public to the dangers of draconian copyright laws/terms/enforcement. Now Hollywood will have a much harder time pushing anything through, and may even start suffering changes in IP laws unfavorable to them, such as less enforcement, or shorter terms.
Komen meanwhile managed to piss everyone off, and cause a whole bunch of negative stories to get run on other stuff. Now people are questioning how much money Komen receives is actually spent treating breast cancer and researching cures for it (It's less then 1/3 according to their own financial statements). Also stories about their abuse of trademark and suing smaller weaker charities for daring to use 'for the cure' in their names/slogans are also getting more attention. This will make it much harder for Komen to raise money long term, especially with everything they do now being viewed in a partisan lens.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Pearl Harbor
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
While other countries have expressed support, they have deferred ratification.
Thus, there is an incongruity here. I do not believe that any of the EU countries are presently "full-fledged" members.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
if sense plays it's part, there wont be any 'full fledged members' either. perhaps then everywhere else will start to realise that the only reason they signed was because of the threats of sanctions etc from the US and to prop up the US entertainment industries. hopefully, repealing some of the one-sided laws already in place will then quickly follow
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Superbowl Commercials
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Superbowl Commercials
A lot of people that saw it happening on the streets took their cameras out and filmed and it is all on Youtube LoL
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Superbowl Commercials
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Superbowl Commercials
(not that there is anything wrong with rehashes, but IP extremists keep complaining about how the Internet brings us rehashes so why can't I complain about how copy'right' and Hollywood has brought us rehashes).
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Superbowl Commercials
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Superbowl Commercials
and another example of rehashes are textbooks. The textbook industry always comes up with new math books that are simply the old ones with a few pages flipped around and they charge a fortune for them. and schools can't keep the old ones for too long because eventually they run out of used copies and since they can't simply copy the old math books, since it's illegal, schools (and students) are forced to buy new rehashes of math books that are only rehashes of the old ones with a few pages flipped around. If it weren't for copy protection laws publishers would be encouraged to actually change the books to make them more useful, and offer reason to buy, instead of simply changing up a few pages and re-selling the same thing over and over.
So don't give me this nonsense about how ignoring copy protection laws and the Internet leads to rehashes. No, what leads to rehashes are the IP cartels and IP laws that allow IP holders to make money off of old material instead of coming up with something new to give people additional reason to buy.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Superbowl Commercials
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Superbowl Commercials
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Superbowl Commercials
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Superbowl Commercials
If your life is hopeless just say so. If you have no prayer of finding a job, and have no money to pay for your content addiction, just admit it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Nobody reads these things
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
If the **AA were held as liable by the laws as I am....
RIAA would be jailed pending their soundproofing every venue for music, thus setting up a situation of entrapment for every citizen who passed by unknowingly.
MPAA fined for allowing drive-in movies.[I know, but there must be at least ONE somewhere out there that hasn't heard that they are extinct.]
Those annoying TV screens in cars would have to be removed or hidden from outside view. Daily fines accrue to MPAA until that is done.
Radio taken off the air as an enticement to violate the law.
Ditto TV.
Copyright enforcement is a two-way street. The **AA should be required to put in as much effort as I have to. Otherwise, the legal doctrines of laches and unclean hands enters the picture. If they haven't made reasonable efforts to enforce copyrights, and protect their Preciouussss IP, then why should we be bothered?
Note that I am not putting the artists in the place of the **AA. The artists are not in favor of these laws, and haven't been the ones writing or pushing for their passage. The artists seem to have more common sense.
A high school friend of mine ended up being a TV writer and producer. When we were rooming together in college, I was attending engineering school, and he was trying to pass the Liberal Arts remedial math course. He once said to me in frustration, "You're smart at math. You probably even know the pi of 9."
I should ask him what he thinks of SOPA/PIPA/ACTA. He used to use names of our friends in his shows for his characters. He tried to get mine in once or twice, but the editors just wouldn't buy a name like mine as being real. I wonder which way the studios would go on that little piece of copyright reuse?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Emil Boc has just resigned so a new government will be formed, which will not be voted by the opposition... the politics here is a mess right now with opposition boycotting the parliament and senate.
Anyway, of course Boc didn't know anything, he was just a puppet (like Dmitry Medvedev was Putin's cover) for the president Basescu which is well known for sucking up to whatever US says.
He wants to buy second hand American planes, he accepted to install US anti-missile radars here in the country, he and his party offered big construction contracts to US companies that never went anywhere but wasted hundreds of millions of dollars.
Most people here don't really know about ACTA, but some TV channels are starting to talk about it and the opposition is against ratifying it without public being involved.
As a nation, we're a bit slow at protesting, there's no such culture in us, so I personally don't see large protests against it but hopefully something will happen.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
https://www.accessnow.org/policy-activism/press-blog/acta-protest-feb-11
you'll find some 30 Romanian cities joining the 2/11 protests, with almost 20,000 people confirmed on the Facebook page of the protest. I think the real number will be much lower. The reasons? Add to our lack of 'protest culture' the recent resignation of our PM (which will shift the public interest to some other directions) and the temperatures below -15° C forecast for Saturday evening.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/02/201226222612228935.html
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
article
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Article
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
acta
[ link to this | view in chronology ]