ACTA Passed, we failed.

[Brad Shepard]

Obama proves irreversibly and forever that he is a real piece of shit

Yea, i stopped reading there, Here is what im going to say, Let it go, our three months late to the party, and the fact that you are trying to get people on your side by going with the common "Obama is crap" Thing, only means you are grasping at straws here.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I'll be glad once we all get over this annoying (and slightly hypocrtical) "dah intahnet is ehn danger the gubbement is evil" phase and maybe move on to freaking out about something else. Like those aliens. Up to something, I tell ya.

When will the "bill x IS SO MUCH WORSE THAN bill y AND WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING WE HAVE EVER HELD DEAR" stuff stop? It is getting rather annoying.

I second both these sentiments. Seriously, this is really getting annoying, and frankly I'm sick and bloody tired of the fear mongering.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

You can't win. They just keep throwing bills at us that steal rights, how can you possibly keep up with them all!?
Especially because so many people are apathetic about the whole thing.

 

[xvbones]

Obama proves irreversibly and forever that he is a real piece of shit who just doesn't give a fuck and has SIGNED ACTA: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/10/us-signs-international-anti-piracy-accord.ars

This just in, Syzygy23 proves irreversibly and forever that hyperbole is the only way to go, right away, about everything, forever.

Yes, assuredly, Obama signing a bill you don't agree with (or, possibly, understand) is proof that he is subhuman filth. There is no middle ground. He did something you (possibly) disagree with, therefore he does not give a fuck and is a real piece of shit.

Assuredly.

(you don't actually know what ACTA is or does, do you)

 

[JesterRaiin]

Yesterday Poland signed ACTA.
There were thousands of protesters in our biggest cities, there were campaigns against ACTA in the Internet. Some politicians and organizations advised at least postponing this whole case until some more dubious elements will be fixed. It wasn't enough.

Our government essentially said "f*ck you country, f*ck you people" and signed.

The atmosphere ? People are angry. One spark and there will be blood. I'm not sure if it's wrong solution anymore.

Edit : Roughly 1/1000 of our society protested actively. Ruling out kids, elders, sick and such that's pretty big number i guess. Unfortunately it seems that corporations are more important. FTW.

 

[dark-mortality]

I'll be glad once we all get over this annoying (and slightly hypocrtical) "dah intahnet is ehn danger the gubbement is evil" phase and maybe move on to freaking out about something else. Like those aliens. Up to something, I tell ya.

Hear hear. According to this website, a psychic said there are aliens on the moon.

Let's just hope the evil doppelgangers stay with them >_>

 

[balanovich]

Lol, dude, the treaty is about HARDWARE PIRACY, like DVD-bootlegging. This isn't SOPA. The internet will be fine.

In my eyes, ACTA is potentially worse. SOPA could have killed the internet. ACTA could kill so much more. Humans, for one thing.

I agree with you RealityCrash.

How can ACTA kill humans ?

SOPA was nasty for two main reasons.
1-It screwed with the way the internet works.
2-It gave power to the companies instead of the government.
These problems aren't there in ACTA or TPP.

Making the laws more universal is a great way to bring harmony.
I most of the world the laws are less strict. Americans should be happy that crimes,that affects them, won't be as easy and safe to commit elsewhere. As for the "other"s I don't see how you can complain against these laws since they don't really prevent you from doing anything legal.

 

[General Twinkletoes]

I'll be glad once we all get over this annoying (and slightly hypocrtical) "dah intahnet is ehn danger the gubbement is evil" phase and maybe move on to freaking out about something else. Like those aliens. Up to something, I tell ya.

Hear hear. According to this website, a psychic said there are aliens on the moon.

Let's just hope the evil doppelgangers stay with them >_>

Are you referring what i think you are? A fancy man with a fantastic top hat?

OT: From what I've seen, nothing seems to have changed. All the things I've seen about it have been from 2010, so i have no idea what's going on :/.

 

[Mr Pantomime]

Im getting rather annoyed that we have to keep being scared of our various goverment representatives, because of the stupid decisions they keep deciding to make. Its a problem that we should be scared of many of our elected officials, and that many dont seem to be able to understand the bills they pass.

By the way, the most I could find in the news on ACTA in New Zealand is 4 pieces from 2010. This bill has been signed without any news coverage in here, and im sure the same is true in many countries.

Wrong: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG3FpBzszFg

This guy mentions it hasnt been covered in Ireland either.

This whole treaty strikes me as very shady and underhanded.

 

[Generalissimo]

well, frack. it appears the first steps to an actual potental world war 3 are happening. why? because the goverments and large corporation are ganging up on us. the corps are using the govs as a tool to get to us, and if it happens once too many times. i promise you, there will be blood.

and lots of it.

 

[Versuvius]

Actually it doesn't seem too bad. http://ec.europa.eu/trade/creating-opportunities/trade-topics/intellectual-property/anti-counterfeiting/

As in no new legislation is being put in, hardware isn't monitored, sites wont be siezed etc. All it allows is counterfeiting to be persued and prosecuted, because bootlegging in the EU is still quite a big thing. It isn't as bad.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

Until the whiners and "this is end of everything!!" whiners actually read the treaty, then I will firmly hold my belief that they're spewing unjustified hyperbole.

Do you want everyone to have free rights? I mean, beyond basic human rights; do you want copyright to be worthless? Do you want companies to not own anything? Enough is enough, of course, but without these things in place it would be anarchy. Do you WANT it to be anarchy??

These trade agreements exist for good reasons and will not impede on anyone's wellbeing or freedoms. They will only go so far as to punish those who are breaking international law. I would have thought that's a good thing. I guess people will just assume "PIPA/SOPA" being followed by this, that it's some kind of trend. It's not. ...it's really not.

ACTA basically just breaks down borders and allows international copyright and such to be truly universal. It is not censorship of the internet. It is not the end of free or fair trade. It is not SOPA. You are all blowing this waaay out of proportion. The worst part of ACTA is that it was formed behind the public's backs, but since it does so little to actually affect the public, I dunno why that's an issue. I'm sure traffic laws were formed behind our backs too. We don't complain about that, though.

Edit: why does everyone keep calling this a bill? It is a TRADE AGREEMENT. It's not being signed into legislative law. You guys are uneducated morons who'll jump at anything, are you? That's... that's disheartening. I thought we'd see some actual critical thinking being done here.

 

[teebeeohh]

When will the "bill x IS SO MUCH WORSE THAN bill y AND WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING WE HAVE EVER HELD DEAR" stuff stop? It is getting rather annoying.

... well I assume it will stop when we finally decide to stop proposing bills that will destroy everything we have ever held dear >.>

So basically everyone used to handwrite everything, and then the printing press was invented and it changed the whole world. Suppose, then, that some stupid handwritten publishing firm comes along and goes "gasp! These newfangled printing presses will make it easy for people to copy our books without any effort and they won't have to pay us anymore for taking the time to handwrite them and we'll lose a shitton of money!" So he gets a law in place that bans the printing of books. Next thing you know it's the year 2012, and we're all still a bunch of catholic assholes in the dark ages who don't know anything because everyone teaches us shit in a language none of us understand, and we think that's okay because we're stupid like that because we never learned to read because the damn printing press was banned. And then we all die of black plague when we're 12 anyway so it's not like it matters.

Yes, that is one hell of a slippery slope, but it gets the point across: The reason people make such a big fucking deal out of these things is verily because these things are a big fucking deal.

if i remember correctly there were bishops who opposed the printing press because it removed their monopoly on books(because no-one but monks had the time and patience to copy books by hand). When Luther came around some Catholics were like SEE WHAT THE PRESS DID TO US? THEY ARE THINKING.
then again, the church also tried to ban the crossbow because it allowed anyone who had a few hours of training to kill a knight who was wearing a small fortune in armor and arms and had spend his whole life training

 

[Blacktooth]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzS5rSvZXe8 perhaps this will convince those who are "apathetic." What people don't seem to understand is that much of the piracy is in fact supported and distributed by media companies themselves. Yet they are never held responsible for their own actions. Companies like CBS are some of the biggest hypocrites I have ever seen in a long time.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

Here's a fantastic post on reddit that should clear up what ACTA actually does and how it'll affect you. Apply critical thinking and you're educated.

http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/or8ag/ive_read_the_final_version_of_acta_heres_what_you/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzS5rSvZXe8 perhaps this will convince those who are "apathetic." What people don't seem to understand is that much of the piracy is in fact supported and distributed by media companies themselves. Yet they are never held responsible for their own actions. Companies like CBS are some of the biggest hypocrites I have ever seen in a long time.

I hope you haven't been getting all your information from a Youtube video, made up your mind, then found other people who reaffirm that opinion (likely others who have seen the video) and taken that it's fact. Do try to look at both sides of the debate, will you? Jumping to conclusions based on half the story is... well it's not exactly smart.

And if you found out about this via Youtube and made your mind up on the spot then I beg you to stop doing that.

 

[gigastar]

Some of us, you lot apparently aren't in this group, care about our rights and don't want to give them up just because big business wants more control. If forcing Congress to listen to the fucking citizenry for once in it's useless existence insults you, tough fucking shit.

Sorry, not everyone on the internet is a techmonkey nor do they want an R4 device for thier 3DS.

As far as i understand it ACTA covers only hardware, and the trading thereof. Which is fine by me as long as the hardware that i buy works. Its not messing with consumer rights to be a techmonkey, or his right to biuld rube goldbergs, or whatever it is you do with hardware you get your hands on.

Dont whinge yourself out on the internet just because you cant face a world where you cant get a cheaper alternative that probably doesnt work and is still inferior to the real thing.

 

[Harla]

For the record: things that ACTA allows and supports include, as part of their copyright infringment provisions, a near abolishment of the principals of fair-use.... not mandatory, of course, but it allows it, and facillitates it. If read int he spirit in which it is intended ot eb red, then ACTA is a good thing, and seems fine... but read it carefully and think about what it's actually allowing to be done, and you find the real problems.

Want to put up a Let's-Play on youtube? Someone Citing ACTA could have it taken down.
Want to to make a fan-vid tribute using songs and footage from your favourite subject/game/actor/character? Again, by ACTA, it can be counted as infringement and removed.
Want to publish a fan-fiction that you wrote on a fan-fiction or shrine site? ACTA has the power to deny that as well.

Worse, it's still in the form of Take Down Now, -maybe- ask questiosn and listen to appeals later... which is unfair to individual people.

WILL these things all defintiely happen and be enforced globally against individuals? Likely not... However, they CAN, and if they -are-, there's nothing any individual can do about it. That is the real problem, and the real injustice.

P.S.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement

Have a read, and while there you can find some more comprehensive links to more detailed texts. If it is enacted, then we really do have a lot to be concerned about.

 

[Ipsen]

Really, as much as the OP seems like a fool for being tired of all the threats to our rights as internet users, I can empathize.

Since the Escapist does not seem to want to put up all of them, I'll ask this out of my position of ignorance.

Are there any OTHER bills that are cropping up (besides SOPA, PIPA, an ACTA) that infringe on internet rights recently?

 

[Versuvius]

Don't get me wrong. PIPA, SOPA were terrible, horrendous things but all said and done, this seems not as extreme as no new legislation is passed. Within the EU human rights are enshrined in law, anything that could infringe on privacy or rights (The 'internet is a human rights' thing is still going) and i don't see the wishy washy EU leaders face-heel turning, especially with the netherlands protesting, shouting at EA over Origin being obtrusive and violating privacy laws, germany joining in the last one. Perhaps the US having signed it will be able to abuse it, but within the EU i think we are for the most part, safe. Unless we run a large bootlegging operation anyway.