In a bitter defeat for large media and pharmaceutical companies, the European Parliament on Wednesday roundly rejected the global ACTA anti-counterfeiting accord. The Guardian reports that the US and Japan are likely to proceed with approval of the international accord, and it remains to be seen whether European supporters try to revive it.
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) was negotiated among officials in large Western nations for the purpose of establishing international standards for intellectual property rights enforcement. It was chiefly aimed at strengthening the battle against counterfeit medicines, and to coordinate repression against illegal Internet downloading.
The text of the agreement became a bête noire for digital liberty activists and patients using unapproved drugs, including anti-AIDS medicines. A movement spread across Europe to oppose ACTA, convincing some governments of EU member states not to ratify the agreement. The European Parliament voted 478 to 39 (with 165 abstentions) to reject the provisions.
The European Parliament's decision was welcomed by activists and politicians across Europe:
Te French Pirate Party, the organisation supporting the liberalisation of copyright and patent law tweeted:
Citizens' victory against the ACTA treaty in the European Parliament.
Former French Presidential candidate:
Good news for the democratic system: the European Parliament has just rejected ACTA.
Spanish website Cultura Ahora tweeted :
The European Parliament rejects the antipiracy treaty.
La Eurocámara tumba el acuerdo antipiratería #Cultura #Eurocámara#Acuerdo #ANTIPIRATERÍA #ACTA #Questionity
It is game over according to Pablo Romero, Madrid-based journalist who tweeted:
The “antipiracy” treaty has been definitively rejected by the EU Parlement.
On the Romanian version of the EU Parlement's account :
Final vote on ACTA: the European MPs rejected the treaty by 478 votes against, 39 in favour and 165 abstentions.
Vot final asupra #ACTA la #PE: eurodeputaÈ›ii resping acordul cu 478 voturi împotrivă, 39 pentru È™i 165 de abÈ›ineri
There was also some winks of satisfaction from the United States, which was celebrating the July 4 Independence Day. Noting the reports on the same day about the Swiss-British discovery of the Higgs boson "God Particle," Global Voices founder Ethan Zuckerman had this much to say:
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