European Court of Justice to cast eye over ACTA

It’s make or break time for the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Tade Agreement (ACTA) as the European Court of Juctice looks set to rule on its compatibility with the principles of the European Union. According to a statement issued by Commissioner Karel De Gucht, ACTA will be taken to the ECJ to see if it is incompatible with fundamental rights of EU citizens, including freedom of expression, the right to privacy and property.

Despite being signed by 22 members of the EU (including Ireland) ACTA has yet to be passed by the EU. In recent weeks Latvia and Lithuania withdrew support for the treaty, while Germany refused to sign it without further debate by the European parliament.

Reacting to the recent outcry in social media and protests staged in Sofia, London and Berlin in recent weeks, commissioner De Gucht said that re-evaluating the treaty was a necessary step. "There is uncertainty on what ACTA will really mean for these key issues… So I believe that putting ACTA before the European Court of Justice is a needed step. This debate must be based upon facts and not upon the misinformation or rumour that has dominated social media sites and blogs in recent weeks.

"ACTA will change nothing about how we use the Internet and social websites today – since it does not introduce any new rules. ACTA only helps to enforce what is already law today. ACTA will not censor websites or shut them down; ACTA will not hinder freedom of the internet or freedom of speech. This clarity should help support a calm, reasoned, open and democratic discussion."

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