The European Parliament has voted to overwhelmingly reject the Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement, also known as ACTA, following an all-parliamentary vote today.
Members of Parliament in Poland express their opposition to ACTA by holding paper Guy Fawkes masks in front of their faces. The masks are used by members of Anonymous.
(Credit: Polish media via Forbes)
The controversial treaty is intended to harmonise anti-counterfeit and copyright protection measures across all EU member states and other signing countries, including as the United States.
The Parliament voted 478 votes against, and only 39 in favour. There were 146 abstentions.
The European Parliament vote means the signing 22 European member states cannot ratify ACTA into their local sovereign law. However, non-EU countries will still be able to shape laws around the treaty's mandates, although ACTA's scope will be significantly reduced without Europe's backing.
To date, 22 of the 27 European member states have signed up to the treaty, including the United Kingdom. Germany, however, has yet to subscribe to ACTA following its foreign ministry calling for a delay to the signing process.
The politician charged with investigating the treaty, rapporteur David Martin MEP, took over from Kader A... [Read more]
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