TorrentFreak

As a Member of the European Parliament, I very much welcome the increased attention the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has received in the past weeks. It has taken a while for massive outcry to emerge, but we are seeing protest voices getting louder and louder.

The European Union has officially signed the controversial “anti-piracy” trade agreement ACTA. It hereby follows in the footsteps of Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States, who already signed it last October. While this is a step in the wrong direction, it is not the end-station for the legislation [...]

Thousands of people have joined anti-ACTA protests all across Poland this week. At TorrentFreak we first mentioned the controversial trade agreement early 2008, and nearly 4 years later it is coming dangerously close to passing. Although the text of the legislation has been toned down somewhat, it still poses a threat to the Internet and [...]

A letter sent on behalf of 21 pro-copyright outfits including the Motion Picture Association and IFPI shows how the European Parliament is being urged to sign the controversial ACTA anti-piracy agreement. The backroom lobbying effort document, which came into TorrentFreak’s possession, reveals how the organizations ask Parliament not to wait for a response from the European Court of Justice but simply sign “with no further delays.”

This is a guest post by TorrentFreak reader cjd, aka Caleb. According to a newly leaked document the “3 strikes” mafia are at it again. Following on the ACTA debacle, they have again been been working secretly on a new global anti-piracy plan. Of course, the democratic process is conveniently undermined by making their agreement [...]

After years of secret negotiations the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is as good as finalized. What was once feared to become a treaty that would give unprecedented powers to the global copyright lobby, has been watered down to a few pages of widely interpretable recommendations. First impressions reveal that not much will change with regard to file-sharing.

According to yet another leaked draft of the highly controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), participating countries will no longer be obliged to impose secondary liability on Internet Service Providers for copyright infringements carried out by their customers. Other harsh measures to counter copyright infringement are still in place.