Tag: ACTA

Pirate party representatives from more than 25 countries agreed at a conference in Prague to prepare a joint platform and campaign for the elections to the European Parliament in 2014, the Czech media reported.

Germany's political newcomer, the Pirate Party, has become the third political force in the country according to a new survey that gives it 13% of support, ahead of the Greens (11%), the Left (Die Linke, 8%) and the Liberals (5%). EurActiv Germany contributed to this article.

The Socialist and Green groups in the European Parliament vowed to "bury" the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement by the summer, before the European Court of Justice would have the chance to issue a verdict.

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has been characterised by a flawed process of negotiations based on a flawed rationale, which has resulted in a flawed agreement, argue Sophie Bloemen and Tessel Mellema from Health Action International Europe. One of the concerns now is that – designed to be a global norm-setting instrument - ACTA could deter generic competition of medicines around the world.

The Commission has decided to refer the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement to the European Court of Justice, halting for now ratification of ACTA by 22 EU countries. The Commission's moved was welcomed by leading European political parties that fear the international accord would trample rights and freedoms.

The leader of the Party of European Socialists, Sergei Stanishev, told EurActiv he was "proud" that his European political family was the first to come up with a clear position on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which he says is against the interests of European citizens.

Online activists across Europe are protesting against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which officially aims to protect intellectual rights but which critics say violates privacy. An online petition against the international treaty attracted more than a million signatures, EurActiv's network in Central Europe reports.

Members of the European Parliament have asked the Commission to halt a global trade agreement against counterfeiting (ACTA) after reports that negotiations on the controversial pact were concluded without their consent in Tokyo on Saturday (2 October).

The United States is behind the wall of secrecy surrounding global trade talks to combat counterfeiting, say EU policy sources, who claim that American officials are refusing to let their European counterparts publish the draft agreement online.

Europe, the United States and Japan need to have strong intellectual property laws to protect the creative economy which is under attack, according to the heads of leading business groups.

The European Parliament defied the EU executive today (10 March), casting a vote against an agreement between the EU, the US and other major powers on combating online piracy and threatening to take legal action at the European Court of Justice.