Lithuanian Minister Of Justice Says ACTA Is Unnecessary, Doesn't Actually Help Creators And It's Time To Reevaluate IP

Say That Again

from the nicely-said dept

Fri, Feb 10th 2012 2:40pm — Mike Masnick

Here's yet another example of a European official speaking out against ACTA. However, unlike in many other countries, where it appears to be politicians merely pushing back on public backlash, and urging caution and public review, the Lithuanian Justice Minister, Remigijus Simasius, has completely condemned ACTA and said that it should lead to a wholesale re-evaluation of IP rights system itself.

The essence of my comment was that certain provisions of ACTA are new to our legal system (more severe punishment, more control of internet providing services) and I do not see why those provisions are necessary.

I have also stated that our life is more and more dependent on R&D, new inventions, creativity. Existing IP protection system, however, is more about protecting the IP protection industry than a protection of inventors and authors. Current debate worldwide is a clear sign that we have to re-evaluate the existing IP rights system.

While it'll be interesting to see how far all of this goes, it's quite notable just how much backlash the SOPA overreach is suddenly creating -- where all sorts of skepticism about existing copyright law is suddenly coming out in more mainstream places.

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Filed Under: acta, ip, justice minister, lithuania, protectionism, remigijus simasius

22 Comments

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weneedhelp (profile), 10 Feb 2012 @ 2:48pm

Remigijus Simasius is an anagram for stinkin pirate.
(Yes, I extended RIAA math in to RIAA Engrish.)

"I have also stated that our life is more and more dependent on R&D, new inventions, creativity. Existing IP protection system, however, is more about protecting the IP protection industry than a protection of inventors and authors. Current debate worldwide is a clear sign that we have to re-evaluate the existing IP rights system."

Oh yeah, pirate talk, no other excuse.
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Hephaestus (profile), 10 Feb 2012 @ 2:54pm

Re:
Big Ole /SARC

FTFY
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Ben Zevenbergen, 10 Feb 2012 @ 2:55pm

"Current debate worldwide is a clear sign that we have to re-evaluate the existing IP rights system."

I could not agree more! Let this man join the discussions on reform.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Feb 2012 @ 3:18pm

http://www.zeropaid.com/news/98825/tribler-bittorrent-client-that-doesnt-need-tracker-sites-cant-be- shut-down/

People who love SOPA will decry Tribler's built-in search functionality with built-in like system.
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Chris From Poland, 10 Feb 2012 @ 3:24pm

This is great news indeed. Let's liberalize copyright law right now, while there is such widespread consensus among the populace (if not the SOPA-supporting old media, but fuck them).
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Feb 2012 @ 3:29pm

Re:
For us the consumer, this is a positive step, that is if its not totally ignored or PR'd, when its brought up

And do the Patent system too, while you're at it.

likely to be other's that need reevaluating too, but the IP systems is a good a place as any

Government:
We wont reevaluate the *insert broken system here*

Us:
But you did it with the IP system

Government:
??????

and then the next one and the next one.... big ol'snow ball affect..........
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PNWReader, 10 Feb 2012 @ 3:31pm

ACTA, Patents and trolls oh my
Thank you Minister Simasius.

I hope this dialog moves past the IP protection industry and starts a debate about the value of IP vs the harm and limitations the current systems enforce.

We need innovation not just shareholder value to those companies that "bought" but didn't originate patents and copyright...

Should a hand gesture that's been around for thousands of years be patentable? Should the placement of icons be more important than the underlying programs they open? Is a lifetime plus 70 years too much? -- Those are the discussions I would love to see on the table.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Feb 2012 @ 3:46pm

Slightly unrelated, but does highlight the unwillingness of the US government to regulate corporations

http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/10/intel-new-york-lawsuit-antitrust-settlement/

" Intel settles antitrust lawsuit with New York attorney general, pays hardly anything"

"Intel's three-year tussle with the state of New York finally came to an end yesterday, with a settlement of relatively harmless proportion. Under the arrangement, Intel will have to shell out a mere $6.5 million to resolve a 2009 antitrust lawsuit filed by then-attorney general Andrew Cuomo."

"According to Reuters, the $6.5 million sum represents just five hours worth of profit for the company, which reported a net income of nearly $13 billion last year"
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PRMan, 10 Feb 2012 @ 4:02pm

I LOVE this:
"Existing IP protection system, however, is more about protecting the IP protection industry"

What a profound statement!
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Feb 2012 @ 4:47pm

Trolls coming in to claim that Lithuania has no culture worth protecting and is a country of thieves in 3, 2, 1...
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Feb 2012 @ 5:03pm

Lithuanian power
oh yea, and as there is just SO MUCH content, and trade with that financial powerhouse they call lithuania.

The entire world is going to listen to some Justice minister..

That right Justice (NOT TRADE) Minister !!!

I bet you had to even get the map out to find out where lithuania is.. a population of 3.2 Million people (about 1% of the US population)

$40 Billion dollars GDP, yea, they are real 'power players' !!!!!!

With a justice minister, who is pushing to be the trade minister, (but is not)..
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Feb 2012 @ 5:09pm

"Tautos jėga vienybėje"[
"Tautos jėga vienybėje"
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Feb 2012 @ 5:52pm

Re: Lithuanian power
And right on cue the fish comes in to take the bait. While we're on the subject of population and numbers affecting policy, try explaining why a bunch of people - numbering less than the population of Lithuania - should demand them to pass legislation they've written, or why they should instantly override any opinion that a country has to say on the matter.

Oh, and this sort of thing involves law, so I'm not sure why you're unhappy the Justice Minister is being involved. But then again it's not due process you want, is it darryl?
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Feb 2012 @ 5:56pm

Yup, more anti-IP from the net consumer countries. Exactly how much IP is produced in the country, versus how much they consume?

It's not hard to figure it out.
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TtfnJohn (profile), 10 Feb 2012 @ 8:29pm

Re: Lithuanian power
Lithuania does have a culture and language going back a thousand years or so think what you will of it. And I doubt that many Americans are all that interested in the content they produce though I guarantee that Lithuanians are.

How typical of some of our trolls to mistake size, in this case of a country and population, with determination and the right to express itself.

I remember the same being said of the "small" anti-SOPA/PIPA movement not so long ago as well.
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Chargone (profile), 11 Feb 2012 @ 1:28am

Re:
this sort of issue crops up all over the place. laws with punishments that are devastating for individuals (if they even get past the cost of fighting in the first place), fitting for small businesses (maybe thirty up to a couple of hundred employees and decent sales) and completely Pointless against large corporations, who are the biggest offenders, who essentially treat it as a tax and carry on.

even before you get to specific instances of dubiousness, this is problematic.
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Feb 2012 @ 2:38am

well, to be honest, it's people like him, ie politicians, that have created such a mess by listening to no one other than certain legacy industries, so now it's up to him and his kind to fix it. i sincerely hope that this time, it's done properly! with more countries exercising website blocks (the UK is going to extend it very soon to cover more than Newzbin from what i read) it needs to happen quickly!
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Andrew, 11 Feb 2012 @ 4:21am

Re: Lithuanian power
One should never underestimate the butterfly effect. It was Lithuania that has initiated the breakdown of the Soviet Union by proclaiming a resumption of independence in March 1990. Perhaps it may throw a wrench into the wheels of supranational bureaucratic machinery as well.
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Boo Boo, 11 Feb 2012 @ 6:26am

Respect Lithuania
Respect Lithuania !! You have the balls to stand up to the US and yet another of their HollyWood inspired and sponsored
control bills.
Those in the digital content business need to accept that sharing of their content cannot be stopped , its what people do on the internet.
Naturally they are not accepting it , hence PIPA / SOPA / ACTA and god knows what else is being thrown at us.
Think ' control ' ' walled gardens ' ' paywalls ' - Big content cannot think beyond these , and their answer are these horrible bills that are designed to impact billions of internet users to the benefit of a handful of content producers.
Whats worse is that governments are siding with them by trying to force these things into law.
Its a marriage made in hell, big content gets its control , governments get to close down any website it feels is a threat.
Has anyone ever seen such a determined multi pronged attack strategy aimed against any other industry aside of the internet as we know it today ?
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Arnas, 11 Feb 2012 @ 10:25am

..
Heh. This is a government person speaking against ACTA, and he's a fellow lithuanian. Double excitement!
Also he's �ima�ius, not Simasius. Not that it matters.
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wvhillbilly (profile), 11 Feb 2012 @ 6:51pm

Failed business model logo
Wanna see something hilarious? Go here:
http://craphound.com/images/failedbizmodelcleft.jpg
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wvhillbilly (profile), 11 Feb 2012 @ 7:03pm

Re: ACTA, Patents and trolls oh my
It's about time somebody showed some sense on all this IP overreaching. It's like the IP industry wants to lock everything up solid forever, do away with all safeguards against misuse, do away with any form of fair use and tilt everything completely in their favor. And the penalties for even minor infringement I would liken to 20 years at hard labor for jaywalking.

I wish somebody would pound some sense into the heads of these IP freaks that want everything all for themselves and nobody else and understand that this has to be a two-way street, not all take and no give.
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