MEPs block EU from joining ACTA, the multi-nation anti-counterfeiting agreement, saying it breaches fundamental European freedoms and opens a door to surveillance.

Death knell for ACTA

The day ACTA bit the dust to  the overwhelming support of MEPs.

After five committee votes against ACTA,

an international agreement  to fight counterfeit trade,

A vague text is dangerous,  and we cannot guarantee

that civil liberties would be robustly  protected by the Treaty provisions.

ACTA stoked public controversy  from the outset,

with street protests against a perceived  threat to the internet freedoms of individuals

and fears of Big Brother oversight  and prosecutions.

The EU argued  it’s an agreement for our days,

protecting the intellectual rights of creators,  designers and inventors

and giving Europe an edge  over global competitors.

Counterfeit medicines and  counterfeit spare parts for airplanes

are not only a threat  to the health and life of Europeans,

they're also a threat to the competitiveness  of the European economy.

And to combat those things  we need international cooperation.

The European Commission fought in vain  to give the European Court of Justice

time to reach a ruling  on whether ACTA breaches EU law.

ACTA is not an attack on our liberties,  it is a defence of our livelihoods.

What is legal today in the European Union,  will remain legal once ACTA is ratified.

It was a victory that had  one civil society opponent close to tears.

It means that the EU policy makers cannot  ignore the voice of citizens any longer.

through this global public sphere  that is the internet,

but already opponents are preparing  themselves for future battles.

but they understand  it will be back, with a new face.