Pay Attention Now Internet User!!

I have seen few threads already discussing the issue about ACTA but found surprising that hardly any people care. This thread lists all reasons why YOU a normal internet user should care and take a step against it.

Since Spring 2008, the European Union, the United States, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Australia as well as a few other countries have been secretly negotiating a trade agreement aimed at enforcing copyright and tackling counterfeited goods (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement in Text and Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement in PDF). Specifically, leaked documents show that one of the major goal of the treaty is to force signatory countries into implementing anti file-sharing policies under the form of three-strikes schemes and net filtering practices.

At a time when important debates are taking place on the need to adapt copyright to the digital age, this treaty would bypass democratic processes in order to enforce a fundamentally irrelevant regulatory regime. It would profoundly alter the very nature of the Internet as we know it by putting an end to Net neutrality.

See the most worrying provision of this here

The countries mentioned in the document are: USA (US), Japan (J), Canada (Can), New Zealand (NZ), Australia (Aus), Mexico (Mex/MX), Morocco (Mor), the European Union (EU), Singapore (Sing), South Korea (Kor), Switzerland (CH). And "MS" is "EU member states".

Even if your country is not listed above you should care because this will spread worldwide after it passes these countries and even if it does not it will indirectly affect you.

Three core reasons for rejecting ACTA:
These three points have been repeatedly documented in each and every piece of information that has been disclosed, since the beginning of the ACTA process:

* ACTA is policy laundering in which an international negotiation is used to circumvent democratic debates at national or European level and adopt policy that the Parliaments will have no choice but to reject completely or adopt as a whole. Congress might not even be consulted in the case of the United States.

(see in detail here)

* The promoters and drafters of ACTA have created a mixed bag of titles, types of infringement and enforcement measures, in which life-endangering fake products and organized crime activities are considered together with non-for-profit activities that play a role in access to knowledge, innovation, culture and freedom of expression. ACTA would create a de facto presumption of infringement.

(see in detail here)

*In the negotiations, the EU is pushing the worse parts of the former directive proposal on criminal sanctions for IPR enforcement (IPRED 2, withdrawn because of uncertain legal basis), that is criminal sanctions for abetting or inciting to infringement.

(see in detail here)

Along with that one of the biggest problem right now is that your ISP's (Internet Service Providers) can report you for anything that "could" be copyright infringement and they will monitor you constantly.

- ISPS will now watch what you download, and tattle on you if you download a music track/ any data / rapidshares / torrents etc.
- ISPS will tattle on you, when you do anything which goes against "Governments policy".
- ISPS will be able to document and store EVERYTHING you do online. nothing will ever be private again

Just think how Government will use this to suppress your voice. This will allow more government control where it shouldn't be and is an infringement on human rights of freedom to expression and other freedoms.

Edited to fix link.

[edit on 30-3-2010 by December_Rain]

Well, every time that I've had anything to do with a .torrent file, I ended up with a virus or malware on my computer, so as far as I'm concerned, they can all go in the great recycle bin in the sky.

I support acts like this. It will encourage people to create their own music to listen to, and create their own art and movies and lives to live.

I guess the government thinks they can control people by taking this away. The ability to illegally file share is not one I am going to cry over leaving me.

reply to post by hotbakedtater


Its not just torrent and rapidshares but other things as well which I listed in OP. Anything the government decides is not good will be added in the list. Earlier the Government were spying on you secretly this will just give them legal face to do the same.

reply to post by hotbakedtater


For you I will say it again-- copied from OP

The promoters and drafters of ACTA have created a mixed bag of titles, types of infringement and enforcement measures, in which life-endangering fake products and organized crime activities are considered together with non-for-profit activities that play a role in access to knowledge, innovation, culture and freedom of expression. ACTA would create a de facto presumption of infringement.

Much clear now? It is exactly like Australian government filter concept in the name of porn they have blocked everything that goes against government. This web will only tighten to slowly remove each and every privacy you have in layers.

[edit on 30-3-2010 by December_Rain]

It is all about greed.....again.

The other day I watched a major singer tell the audiance to stop copying cd's because it affects the artists income. Then he drove off in his Bentley to his mansion in the Beverly Hills.

WTF....the cinema's are not empty and why must someone like Tom Cruise earn 10 million dollars before he set foot on the set? How can they justify the dangers of going bankrupt because of illegal copying?

They just want that few dollars you saved in their pockets...that's all.

We are still recovering from the international bank-scam. We, the common people are paying for the theft of trillions of Dollars and Euro's. Nobody ever got arrested or reprimanded. Did some president or judge ever wondered where all this money disapeared to? Yeah, it vaporated.

There is no signal going out for people who try to do the same trick and sooner or later it will happen again.

Everything where there is something for free they try to find ways for you to pay.

I am starting to belief that some economy educated idiot is trying to shine with his find. It is not because it is necessary but because there is (more) money to be made.


EDIT: Spelling...again.

[edit on 30-3-2010 by zatara]

The fact is that everything these guys put out is over-priced. The artists will only see about $.15 on every album if he/she is lucky. They are the last to be paid after they have paid the producers, sound engineers, A&R's, CD press company, and the list goes on and on.

I understand that it is hypocritical, but these industries are run by a bunch of crooks. The artists is starved, the only money they see is if they do a tour. Which in time, watch, they will get screwed over for.

reply to post by hotbakedtater


you support acts like this because you have no clue what they mean. net neutrality is important, very important. ever download a pdf? do so with ACTA in effect and you'll be reported for it. your friend who lives on the other side of the globe sends you a song they wrote and performed and entirely own over the internet? reported for filesharing, doesn't matter that it was perfectly legal.

net neutrality must remain for the free flow of information, which is the right of every human being, to continue. yes if someone is doing something illegal, they should be punished. but law enforcement should have to go through the legal system to do it, with ACTA they wouldn't have to, you'd be guilty untill proven innocent. plenty of torrents are perfectly legal. in fact many times it's much easier to share perfectly legal files with a friend via torrents. you'd condemn anyone who uses them to legal action because you think this will only punish "the bad guys" , well you'd be wrong.

Originally posted by Equinox99
The fact is that everything these guys put out is over-priced. The artists will only see about $.15 on every album if he/she is lucky. They are the last to be paid after they have paid the producers, sound engineers, A&R's, CD press company, and the list goes on and on.

I understand that it is hypocritical, but these industries are run by a bunch of crooks. The artists is starved, the only money they see is if they do a tour. Which in time, watch, they will get screwed over for.

Than it is time that the artists should grow some balls and unite and strike.

Is it because they are afraid to lose their record deal if they confront their record company with their low income?

They shouldn't have signed the deal in the first place if they were not happy with their piece of the pie.

They should demand fair trade and compensation. Not ask the public to be sweet and understanding. It is not their fans who are robbing them, the artists are knocking on the wrong door....and worse..... they probably know it.

The intelligence services perve into peoples lifes to sell ideas to the tv industry and hollywood. They are stealing from these peopel.

So they steal there ideas and stuff from public, but its illegal the other way round.

If you work for british intelligence and do something wrong against them, they use bbc to ridicule you after perving into your life. Thats one of teh ways they keep secrets.

The intellignce agencies perve into peoples lifes and sell these ideas to hollywood and others for them to use.

So who is stealing?

reply to post by optimus primal


If thats the way the net is going I will go the other way and get rid of it then. It isnt a big deal to me because I can take or leave the internet. To get this worked up over it sounds like addiction and shackles.

reply to post by zatara


indeed, one need only look to the success of itunes to see that if artists really wanted to be fairly compensated for their work, all they need do is sell their songs one at a time directly to the consumer.

reply to post by zatara


The thing is that companies that market you is monopolized by the giant companies. Warner Music, EMI, Sony Music, and Universal Music Group. They make the mainstream media and starve out the independent artists who try to make a name for themselves.

They are in collusion with radio companies and distribution companies. They own many sub companies and such. Artists usually have no choice on the deal because they are usually broke.

reply to post by hotbakedtater


the internet is supposed to be a bastion of knowledge. simply saying " i'll just get rid of it if that happens" is part of the problem. because it doesn't just affect you, it affects everyone who wants to learn anything about anything without having to pay thousands of dollars for college tuition for their field of interest. you'd deny others the right to knowledge simply because it's inconvenient for you to speak out against attacks on net neutrality?

keeping people from knowledge is, to me, evil. what do they say about evil? it's allowed to prosper because good men(or women) do nothing to stop it.

i am not trying to attack you, for when reading my replies to you it could appear that way, only the thought that " if it doesn't affect me directly, it's not my problem".

Originally posted by optimus primal
reply to post by hotbakedtater

 

the internet is supposed to be a bastion of knowledge. simply saying " i'll just get rid of it if that happens" is part of the problem. because it doesn't just affect you, it affects everyone who wants to learn anything about anything without having to pay thousands of dollars for college tuition for their field of interest. you'd deny others the right to knowledge simply because it's inconvenient for you to speak out against attacks on net neutrality?

keeping people from knowledge is, to me, evil. what do they say about evil? it's allowed to prosper because good men(or women) do nothing to stop it.

i am not trying to attack you, for when reading my replies to you it could appear that way, only the thought that " if it doesn't affect me directly, it's not my problem".

Of course it affects me. I am posting from the net right now. I LOVE the internet and use it a lot. But if the government comes in a ruins it and tries to use it to get us in trouble I wont use it any more. I wont give that power to them. If they want it that bad take it then with your oppressive laws and taxes and fines. Ill just go play somewhere else, and adapt like humans have for eons.

I choose not to allow the threat and fear of something like this happening drive my existence.

This is why I've already hoarded about as much music as I will ever listen to in my life.

All on an external hard drive.

Wait, did I say that? I meant, it's all only on my hard drive and I guess I'll have to delete it one day?

They won't make the laws publicly known. In the USA they are already complaining about how prisons are a drag on our economy, so they may just privatize them. Imagine that! We will have those new laws combined with a privatized prison system. You do the math.

Edit to add:
I doubt I currently or ever will do anything that would be determined illegal. I don't download anything, I don't visit porn sites, I don't listen to music except on myspace, I don't share any computer files with anyone else, I don't use IM, I barely use email, I don't watch anything other than youtube, The only copying I do is when I post something on ATS like from wikipedia or something. I doubt any of that will be illegal.

[edit on 3/30/10 by Misoir]

Subtle Strategies To Inhibit Efficient Internet Browsing

Linked for relevance as I believe that it isn't just legislation that will effect a users ability to find relevant information. While the link details strategies to frustrate music download, I think that the strategy could be applicable to other areas of the web.

Not to derail the thread with my own links but to add a broader context for potential internet regulations.

All over the globe we have various stages of internet censorship and regulation with the mainstream media in overdrive to also label particular internet communities and themes as undesirable. The process has already begun (I actually think that the onset of the internet necessarily required its' initial growth for the purpose of gauging how it would effect the populace in order to better define where internet legislation would be directed.

It's a very real concern in that the implementation of a global social network necessarily is going to effect the capacity of older societal controls and media propagation. Allowing the people who pull the strings to decide how and when we can communicate is disingenious...as communication is the foundation of our society.

If we have nothing to worry about if we obey the law then the same point should apply to those who were previously inaccessible - those who have the money and wish to remain as such at the expense of a mostly ignorant populace.

reply to post by MemoryShock


Thank you very much for the link and your input. I 100% agree with your statement

All over the globe we have various stages of internet censorship and regulation with the mainstream media in overdrive to also label particular internet communities and themes as undesirable. The process has already begun (I actually think that the onset of the internet necessarily required its' initial growth for the purpose of gauging how it would effect the populace in order to better define where internet legislation would be directed.

It's a very real concern in that the implementation of a global social network necessarily is going to effect the capacity of older societal controls and media propagation. Allowing the people who pull the strings to decide how and when we can communicate is disingenious...as communication is the foundation of our society.

. I hope you dont mind if I borrow this as I couldn't have said it better.

Originally posted by December_Rain

. I hope you dont mind if I borrow this as I couldn't have said it better.

Feel free...

Just correct any spelling errors if there are any...