[IpsNews] Could Europe’s Anti-Counterfeiting Pact be a « Pandora’s Box » of Rights Violations?

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Foggy details surrounding Europe’s anti-counterfeiting trade agreement (ACTA) have divided pubic opinion, with activists on one end of the spectrum claiming it to be the end of Internet freedom and the generic drug market, while proponents continue to defend the act as a « modest » agreement to protect Europe’s intellectual property. […]

The importance of protecting European Union intellectual property is acknowledged by a broad sector of civil society but whether or not the ACTA is the answer remains to be seen, especially given concerns over how the agreement was negotiated and how it will be enforced. […]

But a French citizen online advocacy group, La Quadrature du Net, insists De Gucht is lying to parliament members and downplaying ACTA’s far-reaching effects.

« By pretending that ACTA is inoffensive, Commissioner De Gucht is trying to hide the European Commission’s immense responsibility in initiating a negotiation process circumventing democratic arenas, » Philippe Aigrain, co-founder of La Quadrature du Net said. […]

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106962