European lawmakers rejected the global Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) on Thursday, signalling the European Parliament may soon use new-found rights to derail an international trade agreement. "This vote proves that the European Parliament is definitely receptive, is definitely hearing citizens' voices," said Italian politician Niccolo Rinaldi, a member of the trade committee which voted against the agreement.
The ACTA deal, in the pipeline since 2008, aims to reduce intellectual property theft by cracking down on fake consumer goods and medicines and digital file-sharing of pirated software and music. The European Commission, the EU's executive body, has supported the treaty, which it says would target large-scale operations which enable illegal digital file-sharing. The proposed legal crackdown has sparked furious protests, especially in Eastern Europe, by opponents who say it would censor free expression and criminalise people who download files for personal use.