Europe's publishers welcome Commissioner's clarification on IPR Treaty ACTA

Welcoming Commissioner Karel De Gucht's clarification today about what ACTA (the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) is and is not, Angela Mills Wade, Executive Director of the European Publishers Council (EPC) said, "The EPC welcomes the European Commission's decision to refer the ACTA Treaty to the Court of Justice. Although this will inevitably lead to a delay in the ratification process, we are confident that the Court will uphold the legality of ACTA's provisions."

Furthermore Wade Mills highlighted the clear statements from the Commission in the wake of unprecedented rumour and misinformation that "ACTA will not censor websites or shut them down; ACTA will not hinder freedom of the internet or freedom of speech. 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."

The EPC has been proactive in putting the record straight that ACTA is a balanced and reasonable treaty that fully respects fundamental rights without changing any part of any EU law.  It simply establishes common procedures for dealing with IPR infringements across countries accounting for 50% of world trade. Contrary to aggressive anti-business lobbying, ACTA will have a positive impact on protecting Europe's industries, jobs and people.
 
Mills Wade added: "Failure to ratify ACTA would jeopardise the future of secure copyright protection at EU level just at the moment when the European Commission is about to review the copyright directive."  
 
Earlier this month, the EPC together with other IPR sectors co-signed important letters that were sent to MEPs, national Ministers and the European Commission expressing support for ACTA, calling for a calm and reasoned assessment of the facts rather than taking decisions on the basis of hysterical misinformation. Letters available on request.