European Parliament to decide fate of ACTA

The European Parliament (EP) will decide the fate of the ACTA treaty on Wednesday.

Five EU parliamentary committees, including the International Trade (INTA) committee of the EP, have already recommended that the deeply unpopular and controversial treaty should be rejected.

But it will be up to the EP to finally decide if ACTA – which opponents including the Open Rights Group and la Quadrature du Net say threaten, among many things, fundamental freedoms online, and innovation and education – is finally consigned to the legal dustbin.

"Members of the European Parliament of all political groups must follow the advice of the five parliamentary committees that issued opinions, all of which urge rejection of ACTA.

"A definitive rejection of ACTA would represent a tremendous victory for citizens around the globe, and for European democracy and citizenship," said French digital advocacy group La Quadrature du Net.

The online pressure group said that while it is "time to reform copyright and patent regimes", this should be in favour of citizens, and contributors and policymakers should develop "a framework fit for the digital age".

But even if ACTA is rejected, online tech news site Ars Technica warned that the US has turned its attention to son of ACTA.

There is "a new multilateral trade agreement (the Trans-Pacific Partnership ) that will bring the wonders of the [US law] Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to countries such as Australia, Brunei, Chile, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam," the news site said.