Did this past weekend’s anti-ACTA movement in Europe get their message across to the ruling governments? While the fallout is still being measured, at least one country has decided to say “no” to the treaty, putting them with the small, but growing group of foreign governments that, at least at this point, have rejected ACTA.
The latest country to deny ACTA ratification is Bulgaria, but it appears as if Bulgarian government officials are taking the same approach Germany’s government did. That is, ACTA won’t be signed at least until the EU parliament weighs in. There is, however, some resistance to the nature of the treaty itself, as well as a reluctance to help an industry that “has not adopted to the digital age.”
Over at RT.com, the comments from Bulgaria’s Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov indicate Bulgaria is in no hurry to ratify ACTA:
Bulgaria’s Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov says Sofia will not ratify the agreement until the EU member states elaborate a joint position on the document.
Bulgarian authorities have made the decision to halt the already signed agreement after street protests. Thousands marched through the capital Sofia and 16 other cities.
Apparently, citizen-led public dissent is still an effective method to get your message out. In light of the #Occupy Wall Street movement, who knew? In this day and age of American protesters getting peppered sprayed in the face for peaceful demonstrations, it’s refreshing to see there are still some governments that listen and give credence to the wants and desires of the citizens.
What a novel concept.
In order to solidify Bulgaria’s postion in the ACTA fight, Minster Traikov said, “Authors’ copyright should not be placed above human rights.” If he said that in the United States, MPAA CEO Chris Dodd would threaten Traikov with a lack of financial support from the film industry going forward.
As RT.com indicates, Bulgaria is the sixth EU state to reject ACTA, joining the likes of Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Estonia and Cyprus.
