Jul
26
- Chris Braund
- 26/Jul/2010 09:28
The Digital economy act was bad, but the US-led deal could be much worse. Led by the US, representatives of major intellectual property producing countries are negotiating the Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement (ACTA), a treaty that could lead to legislation that makes the digital economy act look like an old friend.
However, the outcry and public resentment against the act has been surprisingly muted, partly because details have been so thin on the ground. The initial stages of the talks were held in secret, with officials refusing to admit the negotiations even took place.
Some details on the act have not been released following a series of leaks. Initial versions of the agreement look to criminalise digital activities from file sharing to format shifting, such as ripping CD’s to a music player. This would target anyone found to have counterfeited a significant amount of material even “if they have no direct or indirect motivation for financial gain”.
Great news for media companies, not so great for little Joe Bloggs over there listening to his iPod. Yes, the Digital Economy Act is unpopular with its provisions to take court action against habitual copyright infringers, but at least it can be amended if it doesn’t work as it is created in the UK. An international treaty that is being drawn up in the dark is not something I look forward to.