As disputes over the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement rumble on, EPTV went to meet its defenders and critics to find out both sides of the story.

Reporter: ACTA - What's really at stake?

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/15985384/m003-0199-en_mf.srt

ACTA. It stands for  Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.

But this international agreement,  in negotiation for years,

EuroparlTV went to meet the defenders  and the critics of this agreement.

We're in Nice. Every two weeks  since the start of the year,

there's been a demonstration  on Saturday afternoons against ACTA.

ACTA is the English acronym for  the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.

It's the result of negotiations  between EU Member States,

the USA, and other countries  around the world.

In broad terms  ACTA aims to combat counterfeiting.

It covers brand names, medicines,  but also illegal internet downloads.

It's natural to protect  intellectual property

and those whose work relies on it,  such as music publishers.

It demonstrates that nations  recognise the importance

which are important  to promote innovation, creation,

to enhance cultural diversity  and many other reasons.

For the European Commission,  it's nothing new.

around intellectual property  and its protection in Europe.

It's simply, if you like,  exporting our rules abroad

to try and protect our industries,  our artists, our entertainers,

who find their products and so forth  are ripped off frequently abroad.

In the Parliament, which has  the final word on these negotiations,

MEPs aren't convinced  by this agreement.

The rapporteur has called  for the EP to reject it.

We have to protect  European innovation and invention,

we have to reward artists and others  for their creations,

but that has to be weighed against ACTA's  human rights and civil liberties aspects.

is the idea that internet service providers  should act as the internet police force.

Christophe has a computing business  outside Nice.

Like MEPs, he's worried about what is  meant exactly by 'a commercial scale'.

It's always commercial.  YouTube is paid for by ads.

As soon as you have ads, you're in  the commercial domain. It's very easy.

Although the movement has faded  as demonstrations have gone on,

the most loyal still defend their interests.

I'm a graphic designer  and the basis for my work

is inspired from the works of others,  which I rework.

The worry is that, if that isn't allowed,

every time there's a little detail  or a Mickey Mouse head somewhere,

I'll be sued by Disney.  That's impossible.

For young artists starting out,  especially guitarists,

of course they start with pieces  by AC/DC, for example,

or any other type of music in copyright.

They won't be able to start playing,  because you start with great pieces.

But in Brussels, the Commission says  it's not targeting individuals.

It refers to the recent case  against Megaupload,

the platform for downloading  films illegally.

Is it the millions of end-users who have  already downloaded films and TV series?

It's gone after the three or four kingpins

behind the creation and the running  and the ownership of Megaupload,

the people who have earned millions,  if not billions,

from the advertising  that has been placed on that website.

Back to the demo, where banners also  carry references to generic medicines.

Médecins sans Frontières fears that the  generic treatments used to prevent AIDS

in developing countries  at affordable prices

may be considered as counterfeit  under ACTA

and seized as they pass through  European territory.

The Commission says  this fear is also groundless.

But a petition against ACTA  signed by nearly 2.5 million citizens

For many MEPs,  the agreement is too vague