EU officials are working on a global intellectual property treaty which could rewrite national legislation on copyright but which is being put together in a secretive process which helps to "launder" policies that may be too unpopular to pass through normal democratic channels. The EU and industrialised countries such as the US, Canada, Australia and Japan have since last spring been negotiating a trade pact known as Acta - the Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement. The treaty has been presented first and foremost as a way of tackling physical forgeries, such as designer handbags or or pirated DVDs. But leaks reveal that it will also have a much broader scope, including the sensitive issue of intellectual copyright on the internet.
The EU and industrialised countries such as the US, Canada, Australia and Japan have since last spring been negotiating a trade pact known as Acta - the Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement.
The treaty has been presented first and foremost as a way of tackling physical forgeries, such as designer handbags or or pirated DVDs. But leaks reveal that it will also have a much broader scope, including the sensitive issue of intellectual copyright on the internet.
But leaks reveal that it will also have a much broader scope, including the sensitive issue of intellectual copyright on the internet
A Murdoch sponsored clampdown on the Creative commons ? The end to "fair use" ? If it's driven by corporates then it won't be good for free expression keep to the Fen Causeway
