ACTA Thoughts
Today, ACTA is to be signed by all the EU member states. Having not yet read the fine print, I'm not going to say whether I'm for or against this. What I'm going to quickly do is break down some of the myths
ACTA is the international demon spawn of SOPA/PIPA
I don't know where this one comes from; what it shows is that the people writing haven't even looked at Wikipedia. Official negotiations began in June 20081, after a joint announcement in October 2007 [from] the United States [of America], the European Community, Switzerland, and Japan2. Both PIPA and SOPA we introduced in late 2011, after the US signed ACTA.
If ACTA isn't signed the the EU, it'll go away
Er, no. It's already been signed by a number of parties3. Assuming it is ratified, etc. etc., the countries will that signed will be expected to act under it. Other countries have until May to sign up.
It's too late anyway, it's already been enacted
I don't know where this idea is coming from. Surely, if that were the case, people would be being convicted under it. There wouldn't be an international outcry over the extradition of Richard O'Dwyer4, and the Megaupload take down would be getting a different reaction.
Once it's signed, they'll steal all out interwebs
Possibly. I haven't read the text, but the premise seems more sound. The list of people who were authorised to see the text in advanced in the US looks rather bad5, but they are interested parties.
What is definitely true is that it's going to take time. As noted6, it's going to take a while for it to be enforced.
It's so loosely worded, they'll arrest me for looking a bit like Hello Kitty
Mew. It's a treaty, which will be interpreted by humans. It's hoped that it'll stand for quite some time. The best laws often out generalised and abstracted - hence things like 'driving under the influence of intoxicating substances'. Although driving whilst your passenger is tippexing their notes is possibly illegal, not even the evil evil corporations are going to bother with that one.
So, you're pro-ACTA?
I still haven't read it. As part of my natural habit to always pick the understated side of an argument, I've gone to defense of the system (if not so much the content). So, for balance, he's someone talking calming about how it'll destroy the internet.
- 1 ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement
- 2 ↑ https://www.eff.org/issues/acta
- 3 ↑ http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/10/01/uk-japan-trade-counterfeiting-idUKTRE79018620111001
- 4 ↑ Admittedly, there hasn't been.
- 5 ↑ http://www.keionline.org/blogs/2009/03/13/who-are-cleared-advisors
- 6 ↑ http://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-and-eu-to-sign-controversial-acta-treaty-tomorrow-336764-Jan2012/?utm_source=shortlink