Dead on arrival? Dutch Parliament kills ACTA before EU vote, page 1

Dead on arrival? Dutch Parliament kills ACTA before EU vote

www.rt.com

Lawmakers in Holland have voted to strike down the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). Members of the Dutch parliament ruled no such agreement will ever be signed by the government.

The Dutch parliamentarians have opted not to wait for the EU’s vote on ACTA which is set for June, with consultations kicking off already this Thursday.

"The treaty should be taken off table, whatever the decision the European Parliament should take," said MP Kees Verhoeven, a major sponsor of Tuesday’s motion in the Dutch Parliament.

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:

You heard of SOPA and PIPA.Now ACTA! Must read.

This is great news. Let's hope that more countries follow and ACTA is repelled at least on EU.

About ACTA:

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a multinational treaty for the purpose of establishing international standards for intellectual property rights enforcement. The agreement aims to establish an international legal framework for targeting counterfeit goods, generic medicines and copyright infringement on the Internet, and would create a new governing body outside existing forums, such as the World Trade Organization, the World Intellectual Property Organization, or the United Nations.

The agreement was signed in October 2011 by Australia, Canada, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States. In January 2012, the European Union and 22 countries which are member states of the European Union signed as well. No signatory has ratified (formally approved) the agreement, which would come into force after ratification by 6 countries. After entry into force, the treaty would only apply in those countries that ratified it.

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