Online Petition against ACTA

Why Should You Care About ACTA?

ACTA has several features that raise significant potential concerns for consumers privacy and civil liberties, for innovation and the free flow of information on the Internet, legitimate commerce, and for developing countries ability to choose policy options that best suit their domestic priorities and level of economic development.

Internet Service Providers are forced to monitor everything you do online and to report to the government with anything that seen as suspicious. How are they going to pay for this? We will be forced to pay with muchhigher Internet bills, in order to allow this invasion of privacy.

But that is not all.

ACTA is dangerous because

1. It makes it more difficult to distribute free software; Without file sharing and P2P technologies like BitTorrent, distributing large amounts of free software becomes much harder, and more expensive. BitTorrent is a grassroots protocol that allows everyone to contribute to legally distributing free software.

2. It will make it harder for users of free operating systems, such as Linux-based to play media. Consumers are no longer allowed to buy media without DRM and DRM'ed media cannot be played with free software.

3. It allows your devices to be taken away without any explanation whatsoever as part of random security checks. Devices suspected of including pirated material and/or copyright infringements will also be confiscated and searched. Not only is this an invasion of Privacy, this could mean restricted to people carrying digital equipment. This means that bringing an iPod or a laptop through airport security could cost hours off your time. This is not only restricted to digital device carriers. This extends the time required for the averagecheck-in up to 70%, assuming 1 in 10 people receive a searched media Device.

4. ACTA requires that existing ISPs no longer host free software that has the possibility of including copyrighted media; this would substantially affect many sites that offer free software or host software projects such as SourceForge and Download.com. Most software we use on our computers are free. Are we to pay the price because of a misleading treaty?

5. Part of the ACTA treaty states that import generic medicine are to be restricted and controlled. This could have disastrous effects that will cost lives, especially in developing countries. The majority of medicinal companies do not supply medicine to third world countries. This is because more profit can be made by selling it to the richer countries where we live. Most medicines received in third world countries are imported by concerned people and charity groups. If ACTA is to be approved, these medicines would be confiscated for "security" reasons (in order to maintain a monopoly). Should these people die because of our current inaction and unwillingness to act against ACTA?

6. If ACTA is implemented, privacy on the internet is no longer a given. Internet Service Providers will be forced to monitor what websites you visit and what you type, search and do. People have a basic right to privacy that this treaty clearly ignores. Are you willing to pay this price?

7. ACTA gives governments and ISP’s the right to block websites deemed “unsuitable” There are no clear guidelines as to what is deemed suitable or unsuitable. Do you honestly believe that this power will not beabused for political and economical gain. China has used the same excuse to censor the internet. Concurrently, China has far banned facebook.com, youtube.com and blogspot.com. Does this seem like national security?

8. This treaty will not prevent piracy. This is an ineffective and ridiculous agreement that will only harm the common people, not the pirated goods trade. Again, China is an example. Most websites and Peer to Peer networks are blocked. Yet China has one of the most rampant piracy industries in the world. Why? Because piracy will always find another medium. Only we will suffer.

We cannot sit by and watch this happen. The Internet is a tremendous source of genuine free speech where ideas and criticisms are not limited by the whims of other people. We must stop this now, before it passes. Before it's too late.

What is ACTA

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a proposed plurilateral agreement for the purpose of establishing international standards on intellectual property rights enforcement.[1] ACTA would establish a new international legal framework that countries can join on a voluntary basis[2] and would create its own governing body outside existing international institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) or the United Nations.[1][3]

Negotiating countries have described it as a response "to the increase in global trade of counterfeit goods and pirated copyright protected works."[2]

 The scope of ACTA is broad, including counterfeit goods, generic medicines and copyright infringement on the Internet.[4]

Because it is in effect a treaty, ACTA would overcome many court precedents defining consumer rights as to "fair use" and would either change or remove limitations on the application of intellectual property laws.
After a series of draft text leaks in 2008, 2009 and 2010 the negotiating parties published the official version of the current draft on 20 April 2010.[5] The idea to create a plurilateral agreement on counterfeiting was developed by Japan and the United States in 2006. Canada, the European Union and Switzerland joined the preliminary talks throughout 2006 and 2007.

 Official negotiations began in June 2008, with Australia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and Singapore joining the talks. It is planned for negotiations to finish in September 2010.[6]

Wiki

For many years, we have lived a free people under the internet.
It is here that we have built our communities.
It is here that we confess our fears and nurture our aspirations.
It is here that we share our thoughts and our hopes.
It is here that we speak our minds.

Though our communities have been at odds with one another, we all share a common belief.
This belief underlies the very foundation of our freedom: that the great commons of human thought,
culture and emotion shall never be enclosed.

Take pride in this world that you have helped create.
Without you, it would be little more than a sterile tangle of wires.
Yet even as you reflect upon all that has been accomplished, danger looms in the shadows of boardrooms and closed retreats.

The pretentious autocrats who dominate the world outside our refuge seek to devour all that we have built.
They wish to turn our medium of association into their vehicle of exploitation,
to defile our homeland until no voice is heard except for theirs.

Large censorship projects are already underway in China, Australia and the European Union.
Meanwhile, the tyrants seek to legitimize their encroachment upon that which is yours
through international legislation taking the form of an Anti-Counterfitting Trade Agreement.
The political puppets of those who see you as a means to their end are drafting a letter of marque
permitting that which is yours to become theirs.

It is the duty of all men, united, to oppose this licentious affront to our liberties.
It is especially fitting that we, the children of the information age, should stand in the vanguard of this struggle.
We, more than any generation before us, have partaken of the fruit which the tyrants and autocrats seek to forbid.
The fruit of free expression, free association and free thought: it is our birthright, and we will rise to defend it.

The clouds of war are gathering.
The time has come for each and every one of you to stand up and be counted.
We are many, yet in these times, we shall stand as one.
One cause.
One voice.
One nation under the internet.

http://www.anti-acta.com/ The reason
http://ifmovement.org/forum/ The movement
http://www.occultusterra.com/ The attack