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Berlin defies EU over copyright deal
Published: 10 Feb 12 16:19 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20120210-40661.html
Germany on Friday defied the European Union by refusing to sign the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), meant to unify copyright law internationally. Massive anti-ACTA protests are planned for Saturday.
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The German Foreign Ministry announced that it was only delaying the signing for formal reasons, but the decision is likely to hearten German activists who fear the agreement will curtail internet freedoms worldwide.
Protesters are organizing anti-ACTA demonstrations in 60 German towns on Saturday, and are expecting thousands of people to attend.
Three of Germany’s political parties have come out against ACTA – the Greens, the socialist Left party and the Pirates, whose major campaign platform is guarding internet freedoms. Some members of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) have also voiced opposition.
Michael Kretschmer, internet policy spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has criticized the lack of transparency in the way the negotiations are being carried out. He said it did not inspire trust among the population, “if these contracts come about like secret agreements,” he said Friday in Berlin.
Poland and the Czech Republic have also refused to ratify the agreement so far. Both countries have also seen major protests in the streets.
DPA/The Local/bk
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Your comments about this article:
Both counries signed the agreement in Tokyo on the 26th of January 2012...
The EU does not need ACTA.
Also, Latvia has stopped the ACTA agreement's ratification as well.
Why should someone be allowed to copy my own photographs off the internet, put them on a CD, and sell them on eBay? Why should this NOT be illegal???
Copyright and trademark laws and agreements are already in place, it is not ACTA that would break ground in this regard. The problem with ACTA is that it would transform our society in a Big Brother authoritarian system. If a similar law would be introduced over the existing driving regulations, you can expect that speed is always monitored on all roads (costs being covered by the builder), driving permits are checked at all crossroads and cars are confiscated if the speed exceeds the legal limit with more than 0.1 km/hour.
pirate bay is just a good kick in the butt for monumental industry gangsters like the big record companys ,,
what ppl want to listen to is not allwas on the radio and p2p down load do not have good sound qal ,, so ppl support the artist not the one hwo owns the copy right
The main problem with ACTA is however, that:
1. it would allow provate corporations to access data of internet users and for example shut own their blog etc without a court order, until the matter is resolved. Under the ACTA law it is the internet user that would have to prove that they are not guilty of piracy, what is a gross violation of the 'innocent until proven guilty' principle
2. Such law could potentially be used to silence politically inconvenient bloggers - their blogs would be shut down and the court proceedings dragged out
3. Under the Vienna traty (ratified by all UE countries), international conventions are more important than each country's law. In other words, laws in every country would have to be adjusted to meet the ACTA requirements, not the other way round!
4. The same traty states that if there is anything unclear about how to interpret an international agreement/convention, the NOTES to such agreement are the only legitimate source (so for example local law cannot be used to 'adapt' ACTA). Such notes exist but have never been made public! In other words, it is impossible to estimate how the vague postulates of ACTA will affect our lives because we cannot examine the notes and additional info which in fact determines the interpretation of such law.
Artists should be paid but this is not about artists (most are against ACTA) but about putting corporate interests before individual freedom and human rghts.