Acta debate taken to university

Michael Magri

Feb 10th, 12:04

"..Prof. Scicluna said he was against Acta because he did not want people to rummage through his luggage to see if he had any counterfeit products. This was one of the provisions of Acta.

But lawyer Antonio Ghio, who specialises in intellectual property rights, said the clause regarding travellers personal luggage was preceded by the word MAY not should..."

Well Dr. Gio. The `may` could easily be turned into WOULD as apparently, there is nothing concrete in the ACTA provisions to stop anyone from what Prof Scicluna said they will do.. i.e. Rummaging through people`s luggages....!!!

I`m sure you`re right Prof Scicluna on this one too.. As usual anyway..

Censu Filgolli

Feb 9th, 14:33

Since the Government was so prompt to back ACTA by copy/pasting a bunch of bull, I shall copy/paste good news to the anti-ACTA front (including myself):



What started as a few scattered demonstrations against ACTA has exploded into an international day of action this Saturday! There are nearly 200 events across the world, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to hit the streets to protest this dangerous international agreement.

Our feet have not yet hit the pavement, but our voices are already being heard! Facing a groundswell of opposition to ACTA, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia are already wavering on ratification and the European Parliament’s point person for ACTA resigned his post in protest.

With ACTA’s supporters starting to wake up, we're facing a critical moment. ACTA can still be stopped in the European Parliament, and if it’s defeated there, the whole agreement will unravel. Momentum is on our side and we must not stop now. Click through to find out how to join hundreds of thousands of people protesting online and offline against ACTA:

https://www.accessnow.org/acta-protest

Here you’ll find information about ACTA, a listing of Saturday's protests, fact sheets in several languages to hand out, and steps to download the ACTA Protest USTREAM App so you can livestream the event using your mobile phone. If there’s no protest near you, host one by starting a Facebook event and e-mail info@accessnow.org the link.

While we support the rights of creators, protection of intellectual property should not come at the expense of freedom of speech and our privacy. It is the duty of government to protect our rights, not put them in the hands of corporations and encourage ISPs to act as judge, jury, and executioner over our content and web activity.

Once seen as a done deal, ACTA’s fate is now hanging in the balance. The world is watching. Stand up for internet freedom this Saturday and protest ACTA!

https://www.accessnow.org/acta-protest

See you out there,
The Access Team

P.S. Our petition has hit 350,000 and is still growing. To have the most impact in the European Parliament, it needs to get to 500,000. Help us by sending this link around to your family and friends: https://www.accessnow.org/acta

Francis Attard

Feb 9th, 10:53

The reason behind ACTA is to prevent the common citizen from becoming aware of scandals such as these:

http://www.realnewsreporter.com/?p=2868

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReNjdUmpmJY

Alex Ellul

Feb 9th, 10:46

Some thoughts:
ACTA has been signed by the worlds democracies. The tyrannical regimes have not signed on ACTA’s dotted line. China and Iran amongst these tyrannical regimes have not signed the ACTA document. Why may I ask? The reason is very simple, TYRANTS DON’T NEED ACTA; they already have it; they already control internet in their own countries.

After ACTA is approved and comes into law in June 2012, the only legally downloadable thing allowed would be free adult hard-porn movies. We would not even be able to download a Thomas Train video for our young children.

Most probably, the Chinese will make a killing out of ACTA. Many servers would crop up in China, where no laws are applied to control/eliminate piracy, from where anyone living in a non-ACTA signatory country would be able to download whatever would not available to us.
If we already have laws, why do we need ACTA?
The European Parliament’s rapporteur of the ACTA agreement, an agreement which is about as bad as SOPA and creates seriously repressive legislation – that rapporteur has just quit in disgust over how the whole process has been designed to keep citizens and lawmakers in the dark:
Kader Arif, former rapporteur for ACTA:

”I want to denounce in the strongest possible manner the entire process that led to the signature of this agreement: no inclusion of civil society organisations, a lack of transparency from the start of the negotiations, repeated postponing of the signature of the text without an explanation being ever given, exclusion of the EU Parliament’s demands that were expressed on several occasions in our assembly.”
“As rapporteur of this text, I have faced never-before-seen manoeuvres from the right wing of this Parliament to impose a rushed calendar before public opinion could be alerted, thus depriving the Parliament of its right to expression and of the tools at its disposal to convey citizens’ legitimate demands.”

“Everyone knows the ACTA agreement is problematic, whether it is its impact on civil liberties, the way it makes Internet access providers liable, its consequences on generic drugs manufacturing, or how little protection it gives to our geographical indications.”

“This agreement might have major consequences on citizens’ lives, and still, everything is being done to prevent the European Parliament from having its say in this matter. That is why today, as I release this report for which I was in charge, I want to send a strong signal and alert the public opinion about this unacceptable situation. I will not take part in this mascarade.”

Francis Attard

Feb 9th, 10:31

The whole world is a puppet in the hands of the CIA.

twanny borg

Feb 9th, 09:52

malta sirja ohra. ma tistax tara l-internet minghajr ma jaraw fejn dhalt, tmur tipparkja bhall ta' xbiex nofs it-toroq riservata ghar-residenti biss, wardens jistahbaw halli iwahluk, toroq dhul fihom ghar-residendi jew biex taghti servizz biss, xtut moghtija u misruqa minn bambaluni wara li thaxnu minn....... ahjar ma nsemmi xejn u jekk tiprova tidhol tissogra xi xeba jew jisparaw ghalik,speed cameras kullimkien u bi speed 50 u 60, tara t-tv dejjem l-istess erbgha min-nies, tmur bormla disastru tajn u hofor tkisser karozza ghax il-kuntrattur thalla jaghmel li jrid fil-kuntratt u rari tara haddiem jahdem. karibaldi arterja importanti xhur u mhux lesta kont nibni wahdi triq taqsam malta, jekk tispicca bla xoghol jibghatu ghalik jarak kif se jaqtawk, iridu jincensuraw kollox imsomma miljun haga ohra. halluni kwieti bizzejjed ghandna problemi gvern u oppozizzjoni redikoli. jekk ghandha ssir ligi ssir li Hadd u HADD ma jkollu dritt ghall-access fejn nidhol jien fil-computer.

John Scerri

Feb 9th, 08:45

From all these comments there is hardly a mention about counterfeit generic medicines sold over the internet . most of these cheap medicines are NOT manufactured under strict GMP regulations .

Local and European Pharmaceutical companies produce generics under very strict GMP conditions and such companies are inspected on a regular basis by professional authorities.

Local companies employ over 1500 persons and ACTA will be there also to protect their jobs.

NOW ....the point is .....

If anyone out there prefers to take risks with one's health and allow oneself and one's relatives to endanger themselves and their lives by purchasing counterfeit drugs ...then ACTA is not for them.

I would rather pay a fee to legally download music , dvds and so on , then protect those who are filling their pockets by selling dangerous drugs over the internet putting others at risk of losing their lives .

I think some have their priorities the wrong way round.....FIRST COMES LIFE >>>>ACTA is there to control abusers of your LIFE. Don't you care about your life and that of others ???

Cornelius Murphy

Feb 9th, 08:16

"If the negatives outweigh the positives I am willing to vote against," Dr Busuttil said.

It's not about negatives and positives outweighing each other, Dr Busuttil, but rather if the legislation you are voting on is the best and fairest that can be achieved. At this point, we are presented with a take it or leave it proposal that is not the ideal one, so the in the interest of the people you have to say "leave it" and go back to the drawing board.

Michael Bugeja

Feb 9th, 08:11

Whatever one say ,I will never agree with Acta , one's home is his castle, I don't want any intruders,to spy of what I'm doing,as long as I abide with the family rules.And if someone do not want his item, whatever it is not to be downloaded, either he locks it down or not to put it on the net altogether ,after all he/she is advertising it to the world for free.

Rachel Falzon

Feb 9th, 08:06

Dan il gvern huwa suppost gvern favur il liberta jew sejra zball ?

Anthony Mifsud Bonnici Giordani

Feb 9th, 06:29

This is ACTA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=N8Xg_C2YmG0

Joseph Buhagiar

Feb 9th, 04:42

Simon, please do not follow the crowd. We are now learning slowly but steadily that the methods used for the EU to attain what it wants to suite its strategy (the road to get to achieve the end) is witty and clever.

We are learning Simon.

Also do the people know that we have no alternative but to say yes and give our share of the bail outs to Greece and according to whatever France and Germany dictates. And do the people know that this money is just ti pay the interest. I cannot see how they could ever pay anyone back.

And most important, where did these Billion go in Greece?
Could it be that 80% of these billion are aall due to tax evasion?
Are we financing tax evaders?

Mark J. Magri

Feb 9th, 01:27

I can say that I agree with all this present government is implementing for the good of our Country...except for the high cost of water and electricity to households as well as with this unspeakable law of ACTA.
I reiterate that I am paying from my nose to keep internet going on my computer and I do not see worth-it if
someone out there commands me what I expect and how TO USE internet!
People....do not leave this law unheeded as it is against our freedom on how to use Internetworking.
GRANPINTO

Alex Ellul

Feb 8th, 23:14

While the powerful were dangling SOPA for us to fight and destroy, an act to make us think that we, the peublos, have won, they, the powerful were preparing ACTA that was planned to be introduced without anyone noticing. But we did and ACTA will not become law. It will follow Sopa into the dustbin.

M Grima

Feb 8th, 22:57

First we had CCTV cameras installed at every street corner, at places of work and at every shop. This was later followed by a law which was supposed to protect personal data, but wonder of wonders, the misuse of personal data is so rampant that no one bothers to challenge certain perpetrators. Then we had the issue of authorised telephone tapping by the secret service. Finally, to put the icing on the cake we shall have ACTA which will ensure that the little bit of privacy which we have left is also taken away.

U il-poplu sieket u ma jghid xejn.

Alex Ellul

Feb 8th, 22:53

Dr. Busuttil, whom I have always admired and voted for the Euro Parliament said:
>>These were always held behind closed doors but this does not mean that the whole process was not transparent. <<
I had greater expectation from Dr. Busuttil. There's one organisation that holds its annual meetings behind closed doors, no invites, no journalists, no commoners. Its members control the world's policies and economy and most priobably, wihout knowing it, Dr. Busuttil is controlled by this archaially powerful and devious organisation, which is controlled by the world's leading bankers and politicians, the Bilderberg Group. I invite all to read about this organisation.

Andy Farrugia

Feb 8th, 22:52

Imbierek Alla; kemm hawn hallelin u pirati jigru mas-saqajn!

jeneba caruana

Feb 8th, 22:42

IF THIS ACTA IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE NOTHING, WHY WAS IT CREATED?? HELLOOOO...SOMETHING IS WRONG!!!

Zagroma Savrene

Feb 8th, 21:40

No is a no. We don't want ACTA, now get over it.

twanny borg

Feb 8th, 21:09

jien nemmen li hadd m'ghandu jkollu dritt ikun jaf fejn jien jew int qed nidhol fil-computer u ghal EBDA raguni. din hajti u hadd ma ghandu dritt jindahal f'xejn. ikun hemm min jghid fuq pornografija u hmerijiet ohra xorta ma naqbilx. sakemm ma tkunx ghal dannu veru dirett li qed ixxekkel il-liberta ta' haddiehor ma jindahal hadd. jekk hemm min irid izomm copy rights izommom ghalih biss u hadd m'ghandu dritt jara x'jien naghmel fil-computer jekk jien hux qed nikser il-copy rights darba mhux naghmel qliegh. peress li m'ghandniex min jissendika li jkollom aktar skuzi......hekk x'baqgha jonqos nircievu karti biex immorru l-qorti halli aktar iqaxruna!!! halluna kwieti.

Mr M Spiteri

Feb 8th, 21:00

protection for the big corporations

mario piscopo

Feb 8th, 20:55

I do not agree at all with this new law, privacy is one of the our fundamental rights.....this new agreement will not help to safeguard that.

T Gauci

Feb 8th, 20:43

As if we are going to let you shove ACTA down our throats like a herd of sheep hallina Simon

rueben pitre

Feb 8th, 20:32

Dan ghalija huwa ttapjar tal-internet connections. As far as I know Privacy is a human right, and to make it even worse, this whole thing was being decided behind everyone's back.

Luke Scicluna

Feb 8th, 19:09

Issa kullhadd jerga jdur ghall hwienet tad dvds u lkopji. Tal monti jmorru tajjeb jergaw.

Avolja issa ha jibdew bil blue ray

pat muscat

Feb 8th, 19:02

Tridt tkun veru babbu biex ma tkunx xettiku fuq l-ACTA meta din l-ACTA saret behind closed doors and behind people's back. Its not just about the down loading but about the punishment they'll dish out at you, and about the right for privacy too.

Luke Lanzon

Feb 8th, 18:59

If Simon is saying that this is just an enforcement of the laws we already have, doesn't that mean that there will be more police or cameras as would happen in the streets. There are a lot of half lies in this ACTA.

Bernard Mamo

Feb 8th, 18:03

Go and read 1984 by george orwell and see if you find similarities.

Pierre Mangion

Feb 8th, 18:03

obviously it is easier taking it on the small fish rather than the big ones. Dr Busutill and the mafia clique around him should start by protecting the interests of their voters and not those financing their parties.

various journalistic reports on the Italian media report that big firms like LOUIS VUITTON sell there prime material to third counties for cheaper production of their high market brands and this is done as part of their marketing. same goes for the clothes and other commodities. why should i protect brands such as Apple that exploits Chinese child labour??? why should i support the big pharma companies that pretend to spend their billions into R&D when in reality the bulk is spent on advertising.

this is like tax evasion - it is easy to increase the tax rate for those who are in employment but logically it should be easier to apprehend those evading just by asking how the financed the mega boats, luxury cars, and numerous houses. obviously the political arm is better off closing an eye on these abusers rather than hindering the financing of their party and campaigns.

this is all but protection for the richest to get richer.

Mr Michael Debono

Feb 8th, 17:54

The ACTA act is a wartime process, nothing more nothing less. Do we want to feel we are in a war atmospher?

Frans Aguis

Feb 8th, 17:45

Why hasn't Austin Gatt the minister of IT said anything about this.His opinion could be very crucial on the matter.To me it seems that the current laws are enough to stop people from making money out of counterfeit products.This agreement would mean they check all our packets of data to look for counterfeit products.When they start doing that efficiently who knows how easy it will be to check for other things?Such as messages affiliating you to one party...?Or reading your e-mails without a warrant from the court...?Who knows what data they could get and use out of context.
Remember remember the 5th of November...

Emmanuel Carabott

Feb 8th, 17:42

No one seems to be considering the collateral damage of ACTA. Section 5 article 27 says that countries need to protect against unauthorized circumvention of copy protections for example. That would mean it would be illegal to RIP a DVD you have legally purchased in order to move it to a tablet that has no optical drive for you to watch on the go or perhaps to use on a media centre since this requires circumvention of copy protection mechanisms. Both of these scenarios are currently legal yet instead if you do not want to break the law with ACTA you would need to buy a new copy for each device you intent to use unless you’re lucky to find a services that supplies content without Digital rights management which I am personally not aware of any anywhere much less that sells to Malta. Also this would have made DeCSS (the software that defeats the DVD copy protection) Illegal. Without it millions of Linux users would not have been able to watch legally purchased DVDs on their computers as no commercial company bothered to release a DVD player for Linux. Many industries might also experience issues, would Anti-virus companies be breaking the law when they circumvent code obfuscation techniques in viruses ? That too would be “circumvention of an effective technological measure” which is considered illegal in ACTA.

I think people under estimate how easy it is to break copyright law even without intending too. Sure strong copyright laws protect creators but it also restricts them. If you strengthen copyright law too much you can be sure this will be used as a weapon to kill competition. Copyright law is not broken just by downloading a movie or a song, simply singing happy birthday in a restaurant infringes the public performance exclusive right of Warner Chappell who owes the copyright to the song. Now I am not expecting people will go to jail for singing happy birthday but is it that far fetch that some young entrepreneur were to create a movie which might include a scene with people singing happy birthday in it? Well if such a movie were to be released Warner Chappell can request a cut of the profits as it would infringe on his copyright or even try to get an injunction wasting months of work. This is just one example, are you printing leaflets? Did you stop and think about the copyright status of the font you used? You’d be surprised at how easy it is to break copyright law!

It is easy to say copyright infringement is bad so anything that protects against it is good, like with everything there are always unintended consequences. My question is if our laws already cover the aspects that are important and this threat will not change said laws why sign it? More is not always better and like others there are many clauses that worry me. If the industry is not gaining any benefits since the required laws are already in place and as we’ve seen the public will be losing some of their rights? For who’s benefit is this?

Ian Zammit

Feb 8th, 17:41

Nobody seems to want to address the elephant in the room so I will. Did you ever download a song, a film or a TV series or have a loved one who did? Do you want that you or your loved ones are prosecuted for that? Do you want to be sued for hundreds or thousands of Euros for doing that? If you're happy with that situation then ACTA is for you as it will make it easier for you to be prosecuted and sued for just that, downloading. Of course this is already illegal which is why Dr. Busuttil keeps insisting that nothing is going to change. What he always conviently forgets to say is that ACTA will help enforce these laws which have existed but were never really enforced.

ronald ciscaldi

Feb 8th, 17:39

Simon Busuttil its better if you tell us who is really promoting ACTA from your side cause its very fishy .

Well said PROFS not the little details that count but who is behind all this

Joseph Brincat

Feb 8th, 17:18

One thing I would like to ask SIMON BUSUTTIL ,
Do YOU want every letter that YOU receive OPENED already !!!
just because it ' may' have illegal documents ????
as that is what ( acta ) want on our computers

S. Camilleri

Feb 8th, 17:13

Dr.Scicluna could not have described ACTA better!

Likewise I do not want anyone rummaging through my luggage just in case I may have a counterfeit product. How about reasonable suspicion or circumstantial evidence? As ACTA stands any holder of IP rights can on a whim raise suspicion on anything and anybody and cause unwarranted intrusions in one's privacy. We do not need ACTA and as long as anybody or any party ties its cart to this sick-joke, then he or it can go to hell.

Daniel Vella

Feb 8th, 17:07

All this trouble to defend brand names! If there weren't counterfeit products, the original would be much more expensive. And the fact that somebody buys a counterfeit product or downloads a film illegally does not mean that that person would buy the original if there wasn't the opportunity to buy a fake. And finally, if a fake can cost a fraction of the original (OK there is R&D involved in pricing the originals), is the price difference for the original always justifiable? Sometimes fake products are a means of market price control.

patrick cutajar

Feb 8th, 17:07

Mr Scicluna said right . Dont try to read the little details but try to see who is behind all this .

When you understand it than you definitly say NOOOOOO to ACTAAAAAA

Evarist Saliba

Feb 8th, 17:06

This report does not make the issue much clearer
Did lawyer Ghio actually say "...was preceded by the word may not should because ....".It does not make sense.
The tobacco and chemical industries (like all other entities) make strong efforts to protect their interests, but in the end the greater public interest prevails, even at the cost of inconvenience to smokers and illegal drug users. Where is the comparision?

DUNCAN FABRI

Feb 8th, 17:05

Ifhem i can understand why all this hatred against profs scicluna . Ifhem min imaqdar irried jixtri jghidu bil malti

Franco Farrugia

Feb 8th, 16:59

It's no use politicising this event and this issue.
Do not shoot down Prof Scicluna: argue about and against ACTA - once you've read it and understood it!

pat muscat

Feb 8th, 16:57

This Acta legislation will go to great lengths to get its way by stealth. If the majority of EU states already have in place anti-counterfeit laws, where is the need for ACTA?. The truth is that the American big business is behind all this, and pushing for the outer limits. Just think what has happened in Britain with the way extraditing are becoming one sided: the Americans are getting their 'one way': Brits are extradited but no way for the American citizens! Why did the head of Acta legislation resign in shame? Why did five countries refuse to sign this ACTA; why did the Slovenian ambassador regret signing this agreement? We are already seeing google and facebook gathering information; its all part of the big brother mentality: there is privacy at stake; we are people and not sheep!

John Borg

Feb 8th, 16:43

Edward Scicluna is right. No one has a right to rummage through your property to see if you have stolen goods. labour's mentality is really excellet. What's mine is mine and what's yours is also mine. mentalita tac cekcik mill minisrtu tal-finanzi tal-futur. Does this mean we will have no customs duties under labour? That we won't have to pay to go to the cinema? because that is what it amounts to in the end. they want everything for free.

m. borg (slm)

Feb 8th, 16:43

"Asked about the lack of transparency behind the agreement, Dr Busuttil admitted that it was not completely transparent because negotiations had been underway since 2008 or earlier."
.
It seems that 2008 is synonimous with lack of transparency, like the double wage and the €600 weekly rise for the PM and his cabinet.

Andrew Formosa

Feb 8th, 16:34

What, is the best reason for opposing ACTA that Prof Scicluna could come up with? The possibility of having one's luggage checked? Which already happens anyway... What on earth is all the fuss about?

Nicky Azzopardi

Feb 8th, 16:33

Edward Scicluna joining the Graffiti Anti-World Hippie Fest.

Karl Abela

Feb 8th, 16:32

Edward Scicluna appealed to students not to try and understand the details of Acta but rather to see who the players behind it are.

Xqed jahseb Edward Scicluna? Li l-istudenti pupazzi?

Of course, the students HAVE to understand the details, mela l-istudenti qed jahsbuhom letterbox, jemmnu li titfalhom minghajr spjegazzjoni??

Dak iz-zmien ghada Dwardu.

Ramon Casha

Feb 8th, 16:28

Two vs. one. It was obvious from the start how this debate was going to be unbalanced.

ACTA was created by the industry and caters only for the desires of the industry, at the expense of the citizen whose rights and liberties are gradually being shaved away. The amount of deliberate misinformation being spread by the unelected commission and the industry's lawyers is staggering.

Twanny Scerri

Feb 8th, 16:24

I challenge anyone, and that includes the people who are drafting this trade agreement, who has never ever listened or copied a song or article. On the same lines, DVD, Video and Audio recorders should be banned as they can copy anything. Whilst at it, why not reitroduce the Inquisition? We already have the palace in Vittoriosa so why not use it for its proper function?

Francis Coquelin

Feb 8th, 16:06

This ACTA controversy is about as exciting as watching grass grow.