'The Economist' And 'Financial Times' Already Writing Off ACTA As Dead
from the let's-put-it-out-of-its-misery dept
In the last few days, we've seen an extraordinary wave of announcements by governments in Europe, particularly its eastern part, that they would not be ratifying ACTA immediately. That sequence of events, culminating in today's news that Germany, too, would be holding off, has suddenly made lots of people sit up and take notice.
But even against that tumultuous background, few of us would have expected that two of the most serious business publications in Europe, The Economist and Financial Times, would both go much further than simply noting the problems the treaty now faces, and declare that ACTA is pretty much dead.
Under the headline "ACTA up", The Economist says: "Protests across Europe may kill an anti-piracy treaty", and points out: "Internet activists used to be dismissed as a bunch of hairy mouse-clickers with little clout. Not any more."
The Financial Times' headline is "Latest pact on internet piracy set to be derailed", and the post makes an explicit connection with SOPA and PIPA:
A controversial international trade agreement, which campaigners fear would restrict internet freedom looks likely to be delayed or scrapped, the latest in a string of measures planned to combat online piracy to falter in the face of co-ordinated protests.
It also offers some interesting thoughts on why the ACTA revolt has been so strong in eastern Europe:
The issue has stirred up deep passions there, where access to the internet is seen as one of the rewards of belonging to a democratic society. Illegal downloading is also popular, in part because those societies are poorer than those in western Europe, and in part because many content providers have made it difficult for central Europeans to buy music and films legally online.
Finally, it has a fascinating comment from David Martin, the new European Parliament rapporteur on ACTA, who took over after Kader Arif resigned in protest at the way ACTA had been negotiated. Martin says he wants to "canvas views broadly", and to get an opinion from the European Court of Justice on whether ACTA is compatible with the European Union's current laws. As result of this approach, he says:
"Realistically, if we go down this route we are looking at a vote in the spring of 2013," he warns.
The FT quotes an unnamed diplomat who suggests that this delay may "give enough time for the post-SOPA venom to clear," so that governments can quietly ratify ACTA in their national parliaments and in Brussels next year. It sounds like a clever ploy -- let protesters tire themselves out, then push through ACTA -- but on the basis of the strength of feeling that's manifested itself in Europe recently, I wouldn't bet on it working.
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Filed Under: acta, europe, predictions, press
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Great!
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Re:
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"let the protesters tire themsleves out"
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Re: "let the protesters tire themsleves out"
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We must remain vigilant if we are to protect our rights and freedoms, and we must let the governments know that it is NOT OK to censor us to protect a few legacy entertainment industries.
While they certainly have rights as well, our rights (the basic and fundamental rights of the people) far outway the rights of a corporation. Laws to protect the corporations cannot also strip us of our own rights.
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That act alone, knowing how some of us feel about the bills, would be a mistake, if they did that, i'd literally feel like they spat on my face and laughed about it.
I still dont think they've realised yet, that they've crossed over that line, you know, that line between getting your way and non the wiser, and getting your way and having an unhealthy amount of people knowing about it, well, unhealthy for them
I'm gonna go for, a change in name, some bits taken out here and there, to be added again but worded differently, and an assumption, that all these protests where a one off,
which i hope not, i mean this is all new to us as it is to them, who knows if this is a one off, or the start of something, feels like both as daft as that sounds, has potential to be something if everyone is willing to keep going
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For such a conservative magazine (conservative in their journalism as well as outlook) as The Economist to make predictions like this unless they're sure ACTA will fail in Europe.
And if ACTA fails in Europe it's future in the rest of the world is gloomy.
If ACTA fails in Europe then I doubt there's much of a future for TPP either. Both big if's at the moment but this is one hairy mouse clicker Old enough that I'm talking nose and ear hair here!
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Congress REALLY wants to go another round with the Internet?
Senate sneaks in SOPA under a new name.
http://rt.com/usa/news/senate-sopa-new-internet-847/
Anonymous Coward??? #okbyelol
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They're going to keep trying until either they succeed or until the entrenched corporate interests behind this stop feeding them money.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Never forget this!
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Agree
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Poetic Treatment.
"a bunch of hairy mouse-clickers with little clout,"
brown-bearded,
bearishly shaggy,
videogame-playing berserkers,
growlishly peering from basements,
mouses skid across screens,
Guy Fawkes masks conceal,
congressmen tremble,
SOPA shatters, PIPA plunges,
ACTA aborts, TPP tumbles.
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Acta
We will keep ACTA under a looking glass, we want to know everything about it, we will speak with our government at all occasions.
ACTA is too dangerous for all innovations in Europe and thus for our future and the future of our children to let it just go.
Remember this is a people's democracy, not an industrials dictatorial regime.
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surprised
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Re: surprised
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ACTA strategy
I suspect that is exactly their strategy--wait till the uproar dies down, then convene only the ACTA supporters and sneak it through when they think nobody's looking.
This is just as dishonest as ACTA itself.
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wow they can write something smart sometimes. Old business models are not made for global village.
I love war movies. Now go see "Red tails" distribution. Oh sorry I forgot. You have racist thinking pattern and as I live in "white" country I won't go see that movie.
In times when you need make something physical I understand that was problem. But now you put files on server and streaming it into projector.
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ACTA is a multinational trade agreement. It has been signed between 7 or so nations, one of which is the US.
SOPA is a piece of legislation pending as a bill before the US House of Representatives.
PIPA is a piece of legislation pending as a bill before the US Senate.
It does help to keep these various documents straight, and quite mixing them up.
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