European Parliament Rejects ACTA

EU's highest legislative body, the European Parliament, voted against ratification of Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), a broad-scoped piece of legislation designed to prevent copyright infringement of nearly all kinds (commodities, consumer durables, electronic and print media, etc.) A thumping 478 votes against, 39 for, and 146 abstainers saw to the quashing of ACTA. The act had been widely criticized by people of the EU as being too broad-scoped, and giving the regulators sweeping powers to prosecute anything they deem as copyright infringement. Activists feared that censorship could be carried out under the veil of ACTA. Meanwhile, across the big pond, the United States House of Representatives passed a similar piece of legislation, the CISPA, in April.