Acta

[shevegen]

The article can be found at:
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/05/27/music-film-industry-police

Maybe it is a bit overexaggerating, but I think this, if true, is a 100% sign of a dictatorship.

Taxpayer's money that is used for private corporations to control taxpayer's activity?

If this would be true then the G8 would be a form of a corporatocracy, in where whoever has a lot of money will influence what laws will come into existance.
Of course I would not accept any such private force team but the most annoying thing is really that taxpayer money is used for this.

So can someone verify that this is real, or a fake message?

[Wilbert]

More info on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement:

OTTAWA - The federal government is secretly negotiating an agreement to revamp international copyright laws which could make the information on Canadian iPods, laptop computers or other personal electronic devices illegal and greatly increase the difficulty of travelling with such devices.

The deal could also impose strict regulations on Internet service providers, forcing those companies to hand over customer information without a court order.

Called the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), the new plan would see Canada join other countries, including the United States and members of the European Union, to form an international coalition against copyright infringement.

(...)

The leaked ACTA document states officials should be given the "authority to take action against infringers (i.e., authority to act without complaint by rights holders)."

Anyone found with infringing content in their possession would be open to a fine.

They may also have their device confiscated or destroyed, according to the four-page document.

(...)

http://www.canada.com/topics/technology/science/story.html?id=ae997868-220b-4dae-bf4f-47f6fc96ce5e

added link to leaked document: http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Proposed_US_ACTA_multi-lateral_intellectual_property_trade_agreement_(2007)

[Shinigami-Sama]

They may also have their device confiscated or destroyed, according to the four-page document.

...

time to start carrying a property defense 'tool' now I see

might have to make a trip down to Victoria now to complain about this...

[Wilbert]

Another leaked (recent) document about the acta: http://wikileaks.org/wiki/ACTA_negotiations_brief_on_Border_Measures_and_Civil_Enforcement_2008

I haven't read it yet.

[Wilbert]

More news on the secret ACTA:
Government Keeps ACTA Consultation Results Under Wraps
Earlier this year, many Canadians were taken aback by reports of a secret trade agreement that conjured up images of iPod-searching border guards and tough new penalties for every day activities. The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, currently being negotiated by Canada, the United States, Japan, the European Union, and a handful other countries, generated sufficient public concern such that then-Industry Minister Jim Prentice specifically denied any links between the treaty and proposed new legislation.

While the ACTA debate has largely disappeared from the public radar screen, the negotiations continue. Over the summer, I reported about attempts to establish a private consultation committee composed of industry groups that excluded public interest organizations. The status of the consultation committee remains unknown, but my latest technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) reports on newly obtained documents [13 MB] (http://www.michaelgeist.ca/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,21/) under the Access to Information Act that provide additional insights into the secretive nature of the negotiations as well as the results of a limited public consultation conducted by the Department of Foreign Affairs in the spring.

The documents confirm that two countries - the United States and Japan - have emerged as the primary supporters and drafters of the treaty. Countries have met three times in recent months to discuss elements of the treaty with those two countries providing draft treaty language to the other participants just prior to the formal meeting. For example, in late May, the U.S. and Japan forwarded draft treaty language on new border measures provisions to the Canadian delegation, two weeks before a round of talks in Washington. According to Australian officials, subsequent meetings in Geneva and Tokyo addressed statutory damages and criminal provisions for unauthorized camcording. The next meeting is set for Brussels in early December with Internet issues on the agenda.
source: michaelgeist.ca (http://www.michaelgeist.ca/).

Meanwhile the Europeans (the European Council to be exact) refuses to disclose any details about the proposals. Source: vrijschrift.org (http://mailman.vrijschrift.org/pipermail/news/2008-November/000088.html) (dutch). Some english documents can be found at the bottom of the link.

[Ajax_Undone]

Looks as if true crypt might become a natural fit for anybody not wanting their crap swiped...

I would pay to see one of these cops take on a soccer mom from Utah. ;-)