[A2k] The Register: MPs demand UK government end secrecy over ACTA

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/27/acta_early_day_motion/

MPs demand UK government end secrecy over ACTA

International plan of mystery

By Kelly Fiveash

Posted in Government, 27th January 2010 11:22 GMT

MPs across the political spectrum are demanding that the UK government
should release details regarding ongoing international negotiations on
the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).

As we reported last week, UK.gov refused to give MPs access to papers
on talks about copyright enforcement on the web and at national borders.

Since then, 12 MPs have signed Early Day Motion 700 (http://edmi.parliament=
.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=3D40290&SESSION=3D903
), which asks the government to release details of the negotiations to
honourable members as soon as possible.

Last Wednesday junior minister David Lammy said he couldn=92t put papers
about ACTA in the House of Commons Library, because other countries
wanted details of the talks kept secret.

"Disclosure of any documents without the agreement of all our ACTA
negotiating partners would damage the United Kingdom's international
relations,=94 said Lammy on 20 January.

On Sunday, Liberal Democrat shadow culture, media and sport secretary
Don Foster, who tabled the EDM, wrote (http://www.libdems.org.uk/press_rele=
ases_detail.aspx?title=3DMandelson_must_come_clean_on_ACTA_says_Foster&pPK=
=3D5f9a834c-e643-441d-9acc-f457b4d15b14
) to Lord Mandelson demanding him to =93come clean=94 on what the
agreement could mean for UK legislation.

=93Lord Mandelson must act to release the details of this agreement as
soon as possible,=94 he said.

=93Legislation on internet piracy is currently being debated in
Parliament. Given that this agreement could override any decisions
taken over the next few

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Thiru Balasubramaniam
Geneva Representative
Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)
thiru@keionline.org


Tel: +41 22 791 6727
Mobile: +41 76 508 0997