Acta

[Tobifreed]

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is a proposed plurilateral trade agreement[/URL] for establishing international standards on intellectual-property-rights enforcement throughout the participating countries. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_agreement) Its proponents describe it as a response "to the increase in global trade of counterfeit goods and pirated copyright protected works."

On March 23rd 2010, the entire "January 18th 2010 consolidated text" of ACTA was leaked.
I read it and was rather pissed.
Your thoughts on it?[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement#cite_note-med.govt.nz-1"]

[Andy C]

Hmm. If you don't deal in intellectual property crime, then I suppose you've got nothing to worry about, but If it's passed, ISPs will be assisting in the crack down. To me, it's kind of a scary thought considering the laws they are pushing for are going to be much like drug laws; if they suspect you, you don't have any rights, you're fucked until further notice. If you've got a fraction of contraband on you, that's it for you, hammered to death -- probable cause but on the internet, lol. Who knows where it would go from there...? perhaps one more step to full-blown government cencorship? I suppose the masses will be all for this anti-counterfeiting trade agreement though, because who is honestly happy spending hard-earned legal tender on media when people are getting away with it scottfree, sharing online? I don't know where I stand on this really. A sly change for more power & control online to invade people's cyber-space where things could be done against actual crime offline ¬_¬

Got a shit ton of thoughts but I'll keep my tinfoil hat on and spare the details, haha. It says plurilateral and international, wonder what countries will be in agreement here.. : o

[lawlseanny]

If it passes, you know every lawyer in the country is going to be all over the first person to get busted, just to make a name for themselves. It's going to be glorious.

[kirsch]

To me, it's kind of a scary thought considering the laws they are pushing for are going to be much like drug laws; if they suspect you, you don't have any rights, you're fucked until further notice.

Hahaha, with the war on drugs being a massive failure, may-be this is just the new scapegoat. "zomg INTERNET ! ! !" is just the new "zomg DRUGS" of the 2000s, it is nothing to worry about.