The Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) ratification was defeated by the European Parliament by 478 votes to 39.
This sends a clear signal to the rest of the world as well as the USA that the approach by multi national companies and the US Government will not just be accepted or rubber stamped everywhere and that they should reconsider that they may be wrong.
Copyright still requires adjustments to allow for technological developments. Copyright is important in a digital world, for the development of quality content and for providing income to content producers. But the rights of the media owners need to be balanced with the rights of consumers and society in general. Costs of duplication, distribution and management has become negligible and content reaches far larger consumer numbers, much quicker. Periods of protection should be counted in weeks or months and not in years.
