Anti-ACTA Day: Thousands protest across Europe

The world has witnessed an unprecedented day of protests against ACTA. Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in dozens of cities around the globe to protect what is left of the freedom of expression on the internet.

Related articles

• The Global Assault on The Internet – With SOPA/PIPA shelved it’s ACTA we need to worry about! (toodamnez.wordpress.com)
• Anti-ACTA Day [PHOTOS] (platopress.com)
• Germany Won’t Sign ACTA (forbes.com)
• Poland’s Prime Minister wants to put the brakes on ACTA (boingboing.net)
• Europeans Plan Widespread Protests Against Internet Censorship (mashable.com)
• ACTA explained (seeker401.wordpress.com)
• PM reacts to ACTA protest (andrewazzopardi.org)
• UN and IACHR Rapporteurs Renew Call for Internet Freedom of Expression (michaelgeist.ca)
• airy: Say NO to ACTA! (laquadrature.net)

The Global Assault on The Internet – With SOPA/PIPA shelved it’s ACTA we need to worry about!

ACTA is one more offensive against the sharing of culture on the Internet. ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) is an agreement secretly negotiated by a small “club” of like-minded countries (39 countries, including the 27 of the European Union, the United States, Japan, etc). Negotiated instead of being democratically debated, ACTA bypasses parliaments and international organizations to dictate a repressive logic dictated by the entertainment industries.

ACTA would impose new criminal sanctions forcing Internet actors to monitor and censor online communications. It is thus a major threat to freedom of expression online and creates legal uncertainty for Internet companies. In the name of trademarks and patents, it would also hamper access to generic medicines in poor countries.

Related articles

• After SOPA and PIPA, here comes ACTA (100gf.wordpress.com)
• airy: Say NO to ACTA! (laquadrature.net)
• 2011 in Review: Developments in ACTA (eff.org)
• Censorship: 2011 in Review – Developments in ACTA (censorshipinamerica.com)
• A.C.T.A. Will Seperate us all from the world, wheres the petition? (dec1phersworld.wordpress.com)
• Europeans: EU to vote on ACTA, get informed and involved! (boingboing.net)
• Dutch parliament refuses ACTA secrecy | ACTA (dccrowley.posterous.com)
• Dutch parliament refuses ACTA secrecy while the EU parliament meets in secret (acta.ffii.org)
• EU Parliment To Vote On ACTA Soon; Take Action Now (tech.slashdot.org)