European Parliament Official In Charge Of ACTA Quits, And Denounces The 'Masquerade' Behind ACTA | Techdirt
”I want to denounce in the strongest possible manner the entire process that led to the signature of this agreement: no inclusion of civil society organisations, a lack of transparency from the start of the negotiations, repeated postponing of the signature of the text without an explanation being ever given, exclusion of the EU Parliament’s demands that were expressed on several occasions in our assembly.
As rapporteur of this text, I have faced never-before-seen manoeuvres from the right wing of this Parliament to impose a rushed calendar before public opinion could be alerted, thus depriving the Parliament of its right to expression and of the tools at its disposal to convey citizens’ legitimate demands.”
Everyone knows the ACTA agreement is problematic, whether it is its impact on civil liberties, the way it makes Internet access providers liable, its consequences on generic drugs manufacturing, or how little protection it gives to our geographical indications.
This agreement might have major consequences on citizens’ lives, and still, everything is being done to prevent the European Parliament from having its say in this matter. That is why today, as I release this report for which I was in charge, I want to send a strong signal and alert the public opinion about this unacceptable situation. I will not take part in this masquerade.”
New Petition Asks White House To Submit ACTA To The Senate For Ratification | Techdirt
”What struck us as a more interesting question was the serious constitutional questions of whether or not Obama is even allowed to sign ACTA”
ACTA: Note from Marietje Schaake, Member of the European Parliament
Important dates for ACTA in the European Parliament:
- 29 February/1 March: Discussion in international trade committee,
- April or May: Vote in international trade committee,
- 12, 13 or 14 June: Final vote in plenary (most important vote).
"What you’re actually doing is advertising. You’re reaching more people, you’re raising awareness. Understanding that gave me a whole new idea of the shape of copyright and of what the web was doing. Because the biggest thing the web is doing is allowing people to hear things. Allowing people to read things. Allowing people to see things that they would never have otherwise seen. And I think, basically, that’s an incredibly good thing."
How Neil Gaiman Went From Fearing ‘Piracy’ To Believing It’s ‘An Incredibly Good Thing’ | Techdirt
Say NO to ACTA (by laquadrature)
Please take a moment to watch this video and then sign the petition to stop ACTA, which seems to be even worse than SOPA and PIPA combined. It affects 39 countries, including the 27 of the European Union, the United States, Japan, etc.
You can sign the petition here: http://www.stopacta.org/index.php
“Firewall” (Don’t Let Our Government Ruin The Internets) (by leahmakesmusic)
