As Feared, Brazil's 'Anti-ACTA' Marco Civil Killed Off By Lobbyists

from the such-a-waste dept

Tue, Nov 27th 2012 12:00am — Glyn Moody

A couple of weeks ago, we worried that Brazil's innovative "Marco Civil", a civil-rights based framework for the Internet, was being gradually subverted as it passed through the legislative process. Sadly, it looks like that subtle attack has been taken to its logical conclusion, as Rick Falkvinge reports:

Yesterday, the Brazilian parliament effectively killed the much-heralded Internet Bill of Rights, the Marco Civil, that had been praised by entrepreneurs and free-speech activists worldwide. This follows a ridiculous watering-down and dumbing-down of the bill, at the request of obsolete industry lobbies.

This is a salutary reminder of the power of lobbyists to attack and destroy even even the most carefully-prepared initiatives. As for the bill's future, Falkvinge is pessimistic: Marco Civil was shelved indefinitely in yesterday's voting session, unlikely to be revived ever again.
I think it's probably too early to make any definitive pronouncements about what will happen next -- maybe something more can be done, or parts of the text can be salvaged. But if it is indeed the case that the Marco Civil is dead, it will be a real tragedy given the amount of work that went into drafting it, and the widespread hopes that had been riding on it.

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Filed Under: brazil, civil rights, free speech, internet, marco civil

24 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 12:13am

That's the real problem is all these darned lobbyists being paid to shill for the dinosaurs.
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Zakida Paul (profile), 27 Nov 2012 @ 1:27am

Yet another example of how Democracy is a complete sham. The fact that unelected and unaccountable people have so much power over politicians, and the fact that those who are elected are merely shills paid off by mammoth corporations; is an afront to everything Democracy should be about.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 1:59am

Re:
So what we do, is round them up, and let them loose in the Amazon after stealing everything they own.

Problem solved.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 3:20am

There is another sad story too.

https://secure.dslreports.com/shownews/Disney-Shutters-Online-Streaming-Service-Nobody-Knew- They-Had-122161

Disney just close its shop on its online streaming offering...before I could go there and rip it all.

Kidding, the part that is not a joke is the people who paid for that service now will get the shaft LoL
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 4:49am

Re:
What you describe does not fit the definition of democracy. So many claim to have a democratic government, but in fact do not. Lip service and outright bullshit are a common indicator of a non democratic process, this is rather prevalent world wide to varying degrees.

It would be much more productive to introduce and vote on single items rather than construct, argue over, and eventually water down vast legislation intended to cover all things for all people in one stop shopping. It really is just a charade to make it look like they are doing something when all they do is line their pockets.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 7:14am

This is a salutary reminder of the power of lobbyists to attack and destroy even even the most carefully-prepared initiatives.

it's a shame shame that even even you Masnick cannot carefully-prepare a document document.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 7:17am

Re:
unelected and unaccountable people have so much power over politicians

that would be YOU.. are you not an unelected and unaccountable person ?? enjoy your power !!! IT"S YOURS, should you not choose to exercise that power, that is your problem, but dont expect others to be as lazy as you are with your new found power.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 7:18am

Re: Re:
Hear ya. Bundling and the acceleration of amounts of legislation is a huge problem for the democratic portion of the parliamentarian work since it gets outright impossible to understand the effects fully for anyone outside the specific committees they were worked out in. That and some politicians who outright refuse to read the laws (they mostly read the comments from other politicians, experts, secretaries and interest groups and make a stand on that account) are a bigger problem than the money in politics imho. since perfect information is one of the key elements to the basic democratic idea!

In Denmark we have had more pages of legislation made the last 20 years than the 140 years preceding that and the amount is not just increasing but accelerating!
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 7:24am

Re: Re: Meritocracy
what you are describing is a meritocracy, or some confusion of that, on important issues you do get to vote on individual issues, lean your electrical and political system please.

when you do is elect someone you feel will do the best job at running the country, NOT the person who will benifit you most personally. That would be a fudial system..

but half your country does not even feel strongly enough to vote for a president let alone individual bills and laws. if you employed that system you would be back in the stone age in a week...
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 8:00am

Re:
why do you lobby, or get masnick to lobby for you, after all you allready pay him, or is it just that you know how much he sucks..

there are people who actually DO things, and make real changes, masnick just likes to cry and whine about things.. just like you, he has the ability to lobby, and if he was able to provide an adequate argument for his case he would have a hearing.

but facts are facts, masnick represents no one, and have no realy argument, or first hand knowledege of the subject, that is why masnick is only capable of whinning to the likes of you, he has just as much power as the 'lobbyists' but he lacks the knowledge and ability to use that power, just like you.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 8:07am

Re:
it's easy to be critical, when you have no concept of what would replace that "sham" you call Democracy.

you all like Democracies except when they dont deliver exactly what YOU want, what you dont seem to understand is IT"S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU !!!!..

quite possibly, what you think is best for you is certainly not best for your friends or your business, or your parents or children..

no you are supposed to do what is best for your country, your economy and your international standing, not what is best personally for you..

what is your educational system teaching you these days ?? I mean, really you people appear to lack even the most fundamental aspects of your political and legal system, and it appears you are the ONLY PERSON WHO MATTERS, as long as you get what you want, can freely download expensive to make movies (that you must attribute value too, otherwise you would not want it).. but you want it for free, for you and screw everyone else, including the people who went to the effort and expect to create that thing you are so determined to have for free..

again, it's all about YOU,, screw the rest of the world, (you dont like this world,, then dont live in it)..
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 8:08am

Re:
or proof read
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 8:28am

Poor Mr. Civil
I haven't been following Brazilian politics, and my first thought after reading the headline was that the story would be about a murder case.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 8:34am

Re: Re:
And the best thing to do is to follow the monopolist guide book and give up all power to a few?
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 8:51am

Re: Re:
I haven't been paying Masnick to read the posted articles, and I don't think you have been either, darryl.

So I presume you have a real argument and [sic] first hand knoweledege of the subject, right? Little shitstain.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 8:52am

Re: Re:
Clearly neither can you, darryl. Language structure is wasted on a little turd like you.
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Gwiz (profile), 27 Nov 2012 @ 8:53am

Re: Re:
Marked as funny for the double-word typos and poor capitalization in your comment bitching about proof reading.

Oh sweet irony!
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 9:00am

Re: Re: Re:
Don't forget the part where he addresses Mike instead of the author of the article. Always a classic.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 2:20pm

Re: Re:
Blah blah blah. I have no real point other than to spew rhetoric and vitriol. Trolololol.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 6:01pm

Re: Re:
Put down the bong and step away from the table.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 6:10pm

Re: Re: Re: Meritocracy
Congress has a bad habit of creating huge piles of contradictory spaghetti legalese crapola which is inevitably filled with earmarks and political favors to the point where its original intend can no longer be found.

This is what the comment "introduce and vote on single items rather than ..." was addressing.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Nov 2012 @ 6:25pm

Re: Re:
"you have no concept of what would replace that "sham" you call Democracy. "

Not sure there are any real democracies on this planet, if you use the actual definition that is ... although many like to claim the title and proclaim they are exceptional.

"no you are supposed to do what is best for your country, your economy and your international standing, not what is best personally for you.. "

You need to be preaching this to the elite ruling class not the plebes.

"you people"

Lol really? Ann Romney - Is that you?

"lack even the most fundamental aspects of your political and legal system"

There are examples to the contrary posted here everyday, funny how you have missed them.

" it's all about YOU,, screw the rest of the world"

Project much? I suggest you talk to your doctor about changing your prescription.
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Kondde, 26 Dec 2012 @ 10:54am

Cmon!

We brazilians are just celebrating this project shelving a tupiniquim way to impose PIPAs SOPAs DMCAs from you.

There is none technical impediment wich could be managed an action about true crimes that occur here without this Marco Legal Falacy.

You are livining in a real democracy (I dont know if will so far with Mr. Obama). You forgive that we are living in a ditatorial PT (partido dos Trabalhadores) whom wants to rules their onwn comunist dinasty.
Lula-Dilma-Lula....
The fisrt step will criminalises the web opponents from its regime. With this kind of regulation.
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nana, 2 Jun 2013 @ 9:13am

i love brazil
Clearly neither can you, darryl. Language structure is wasted on a little turd like you.
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