European Parliament rejects ACTA

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