Latest pact on internet piracy set to be derailed

A controversial international trade agreement, which campaigners fear would restrict internet freedom, looks likely to be delayed or scrapped, the latest in a string of measures planned to combat online piracy to falter in the face of coordinated protests.

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, is set to join SOPA and PIPA – the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act – two US planned laws designed to boost copyright enforcement, which were shelved last month after sophisticated online campaigns. The fight against ACTA has centered on Europe, even though the US, Australia, Japan and seven others are participants alongside the European Union’s 27 governments. Anti-ACTA campaigners are worried that heavy-handed measures to crack down against illegal file-sharing included in the wide-ranging trade pact will compromise internet freedom. They are planning hundreds of protests across Europe on Saturday, spanning Vienna to Edinburgh, Athens and Strasbourg. At least one march is planned in each of the EU’s 27 member states.