Why you should care about ACTA

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a plurilateral agreement which proposes international standards for enforcement of intellectual property rights. The Agreement, negotiated by a handful of countries1 in coordination with certain parts of industry, is controversial in both process and substance. If ratified, it will have major implications for freedom of expression, access to culture and privacy, it will harm international trade and stifle innovation.

The European Parliament now has to take responsibility and vote “no” on ACTA in the upcoming “consent” procedure. The ratification process of ACTA is also starting on a national level in the various Member States. Since many politicians and citizens are not yet aware of ACTA’s serious implications, Access Now, TACD and EDRi have put together a booklet to highlight the most important issues. It has been translated into several different languages:

English: What makes ACTA so controversial (and why MEPs should care)
German: Warum ist ACTA so umstritten – Und warum sich MdEPs dafür interessieren sollten
– Translated by Digitale Gesellschaft
French: ACTA – les raisons de la controverse (et pourquoi eurodéputés devraient s’en préoccuper)
– Translated by Nurpa & M. Humeau
Hungarian: Mi teszi az ACTA-t oly vitatottá? Miért érdekes ez az EP képviseloknek?
– Translated by Stef Marsiske
Romanian: De ce este ACTA un acord controversat? Si de ce ar trebui sa le pese membrilor Parlamentului European?
– Translated by Association for Technology and Internet
Polish: DLACZEGO POROZUMIENIE ACTA BUDZ I TAKIE KONTROWESJE? (i dlaczego powinno to obchodzic eurodeputowanych) – Translated by Panoptykon
Czech: Cím je ACTA kontroverzní (a proc by to melo zajímat poslance Evropského parlamentu)
– Translated by Petr Kucera, Iure remedicum
Slovak: Cím je ACTA kontroverzná? (eaurporpeocsolabnyctoov malo zaujímat)
– Translated by Marek Mahut, SOIT
Croatian: coming soon