As soon as the word got out that SOPA and PIPA would interfere with our internet habits, people in every part of the United States hopped on the protest train. Internet black outs, petitions, rallies, and calls for action were abundant regarding these two proposed bills. But what about ACTA?
ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) is a proposed agreement intending to set international standards on intellectual property rights. It would establish an international legal framework for countries to join voluntarily and would create a governing body outside international institutions. Negotiating countries have described it as a response to the increase in global trade of counterfeit goods and pirated copyright protected works.” Specifically, the focus of ACTA includes counterfeit goods, generic medicines and copyright infringement on the internet.
According to E.D. Kain (Forbes), “the provisions in the agreement are just as pernicious as anything we saw in SOPA. Worse! The agreement spans virtually all of the countries in the developed world, including all of the EU, the United States, Switzerland and Japan.” So why aren’t internet users just as concerned about this proposition?
While the U.S.-born copyright infringement acts got put on the back burner, the United States and many other countries are supporting this international agreement that encompasses some of the worse threats of SOPA. Many nationwide victories were had last week, however, the skewed global political systems that allowed SOPA and PIPA to exist in the first place are very much intact at an international level.
