Following the signing of Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) by Twenty-two states of European Union, including UK during the ceremony in Japan, which is considered to be somehow or even more effective than SOPA and PIPA – if came into existence in near future.
According to IPTegrity.com, the British government is about to unveil proposals to block the Internet for copyright enforcement purposes. The confirmation came in a Parliamentary debate on Intellectual Property, in which pro-copyright MPs had a little ‘chit-chat’ about the allegedly ‘anti-copyright’ government, and indicated their desire for the activation of the Digital Economy Act.
The Minister of State for Business, Mark Prisk actual words were:
“We need an IP system that helps business and consumers to realise all the opportunities presented, which is why we are actively supporting the UK’s creators and the creative industries and why, to benefit creators, we voted in Europe to extend the term of protection for sound recordings from 50 to 70 years—a really important step for originators of music and other sound recordings. It is also why […]we pressed to introduce measures to tackle online infringement of copyright through the Digital Economy Act 2010.”
“We are closely considering the issue around the blocking access, whether to block access to websites that infringe copyright. We will have something to say about that shortly, but, as I would like to continue to have a positive working relationship with my ministerial colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, I shall not pre-empt what they are about to say. An announcement is imminent, and I think that it will be welcomed.”
On the other side, there are lot of protests and happenings are already taking place – on February 11, the world will be out in an unprecedented showing of solidarity against ACTA. Protests are being organized all over the globe to show the European Parliament that they must reject ACTA. Though many countries have signed the treaty already, if the EP rejects ACTA – then it will come into effect.
Well whatever the sight that is going to take place – we will get to know soon as ACTA is already creating a huge muse all around as it is nothing but termed as “internet censorship” – we await the government’s web blocking announcement and will update soon on this.
