ACTA, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, was rejected on 4th July by the European Parliament with a great majority.
This decision means that ACTA cannot come into force in the EU.
"The
decision to reject ACTA was not taken lightly" said Martin Schultz, President of the European Parliament. "It followed an intensive,
inclusive and transparent debate with civil society, business organisations,
national parliaments and many other stakeholders.
The
vote against ACTA was not one against the protection of intellectual property.
On the contrary - the European Parliament staunchly supports the fight against
piracy and counterfeiting, which harm European companies and pose a threat to
consumer health and European jobs.
The
majority in the European Parliament is of the opinion that ACTA is a wrong
solution, a sentiment shared by millions of citizens. The majority in the
European Parliament is of the opinion that ACTA is too vague, leaving the room
for abuses and raising concern about its impact on consumers' privacy and civil
liberties, on innovation and the free flow of information."
Read more http://www.europarl.europa.eu/the-president/en/press/press_release_speeches/press_release/2012/2012-july/press_release-2012-july-3.html