[A2k] ACTA threatens free software!

[Riaz K Tayob]

--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
ACTA threatens free software!
ACTA, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, is a proposed enforcement tr=
eaty between United States, the European Community, Switzerland, Japan, Aus=
tralia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, and Canada.

Although the proposed treaty's title might suggest that the agreement deals=
 only with counterfeit physical goods (such as medicines), what little info=
rmation has been made available publicly by negotiating governments about t=
he content of the treaty makes it clear that it will have a far broader sco=
pe, and in particular, will deal with new tools targeting "Internet distrib=
ution and information technology".


ACTA threatens free software

=C2=A0=C2=A0 1. It makes it more difficult to distribute free software: Wit=
hout file sharing and P2P technologies like BitTorrent, distributing large =
amounts of free software becomes much harder, and more expensive. BitTorren=
t is a grassroots protocol that allows everyone to contribute to legally di=
stributing free software.
=C2=A0=C2=A0 2. It will make it harder for users of free operating systems =
to play media: Consumers will no longer be able to buy media without DRM --=
 and DRMed media cannot be played with free software.
=C2=A0=C2=A0 3. It increases the chances of getting your devices taken away=
: Portable media players that support free formats are less common than dev=
ices which support DRM, such as the iPod. Will this make them suspicious to=
 border guards?
=C2=A0=C2=A0 4. It creates a culture of surveillance and suspicion, in whic=
h the freedom that is required to produce free software is seen as dangerou=
s and threatening rather than creative, innovative, and exciting.

Vote your opinion here: Speak out against ACTA - Free Software Foundation
Last edited by dmex; 3 Hours Ago at 11:11 PM.

http://www.vistax64.com/vista-news/169571-acta-threatens-free-software.html


--