The European Parliament rejected the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) with a 478 to 39 vote. The overwhelming dissent effectively served a death blow to the anti-piracy and anti-copyright infringement legislation drafted five years ago by the United States and Japan.
Supporters of the legislation, including President Obama, had hoped to establish a global copyright standard, but the recent decision hurts the possibility of establishing such standards.
ACTA could still pass if six countries choose to pass the legislation, but Canadian law professor Michael Geist explains how the legislation is “badly damaged and will seemingly never achieve the goals of its supporters as a model for other countries to adopt.”
Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Morocco, New Zealand, and Singapore are among the nations yet to decide on the matter, but reports indicate the nations are unlikely to pass the legislation.
ACTA opponents celebrated the decision. Activist Mike Rispoli explained that his group Access “is ecstatic that the Parliament… by an overwhelming majority, said ‘No’ to ACTA, delivering the long-awaited fatal blow to this dangerous agreement.”
“The European Parliament vote is a triumph of democracy over special interests and shady back-room deals,” added UK Pirate Party leader Loz Kaye. “It is becoming increasingly politically poisonous to be ‘anti-Internet.'”
The European Parliament rejected the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) with a 478 to 39 vote. The overwhelming dissent effectively served a death blow to the anti-piracy and anti-copyright infringement legislation drafted five years ago by the United States and Japan.
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