What is ACTA ?

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ACTA is an international trade agreement currently negociated by the European Union, the United States, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Australia as well as a few other countries, whose aim is to enforce copyright and tackle counterfeited goods (hence its acronym: Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement).

The main problem with this treaty is that all the negociations are done secretely. Leaked documents show that one of the major goal of the treaty is to force signatory countries into implementing anti file-sharing policies under the form of three-strikes schemes and net filtering practices.

Help stop ACTA

• Inform about ACTA
• Use the ACTA alert box on your website
• If in the EU, help collect signatures of Members of the European Parliament for the Written Declaration 12

Intellectual property must be protected, but it should not be placed above individuals' rights to privacy and data protection.

Peter Hustinx, European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), issued a report on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), claiming that it could prove unworkable under current European Union data protection laws.

ACTA is legislation laundering on an international level of what would be very difficult to get through most Parliaments

Stravros Lambrinidis, Member of European Parliament, S and D, Greece

The European Parliament has had no representation in ACTA negotiations. Just accepting or rejecting an agreement is not an exercise of democracy as under the Lisbon Treaty.

Zuzana Roithova, Member of European Parliament, EPP, Czech Republic

It is extremely regrettable that democratic debate has been eliminated from talks that could have a major impact on such a fundamental freedom as free expression.

Reporters without Borders, European Parliament Sakharov Prize Winners

Any measures concerning people's right to go online need to be brought in through the proper democratic channels, not via self-regulation, and made into EU law

Andrea D?Incecco, public affairs manager from EuroISPA (Business association of European Internet Service Providers)

Third party liability for Internet Server Providers is like making the post office responsible for what is inside the letters they send.

Alexander Alvaro, Member of European Parliament, ALDE, Germany.

We can only assume that the final text could do great harm in developing countries and undermine the balance between the protection of intellectual property and the need to provide affordable medicines for poor people.

Rohit Malpani, OXFAM, from a press release criticising possible impact of ACTA.

We are in danger of ending up with the worst of both worlds, pushing IP rules, which are very effective at stopping access to life-saving drugs but are very bad at stopping or preventing fake drugs.

Michelle Childs of Médecins Sans Frontières, Nobel Peace Prize winners, has issued a very critical statement on ACTA.

Sign the Wellington declaration!

"The European Parliament has had no representation in ACTA negotiations. Just accepting or rejecting an agreement is not an exercise of democracy as under the Lisbon Treaty."

Zuzana Roithova, Member of European Parliament, EPP, Czech Republic 

ACTA MENACE LES LIBERTÉS INDIVIDUELLES ET L'ACCÈS AU SAVOIR.

Cet accord commercial anti-contrefaçon, négocié en secret, pourrait :

• transformer les opérateurs d'Internet en police privée du copyright;
• imposer des sanctions dures et injustes aux utilisateurs et consommateurs;
• nuire à l'accès aux médicaments et aux savoirs essentiels dans les pays pauvres;
• freiner l'innovation;
• établir une nouvelle gouvernance anti-démocratique, contournant les parlements.

Stoppons ACTA!

 Mort aux Tyrans !