Poland, ACTA, and “Blackmail” Protesting

Polish citizens protested this week to their government signing onto ACTA, voicing concerns that the adoption of its provisions would shift so much power to copyright holders that the people’s fundamental rights to digital privacy would be impaired. With the government going forward anyway, what will the protests accomplish?

By awarding its 2011 Person of the Year award to “the protester,” Time magazine recognized that last year was a very eventful one for world events.  Whether you’re talking about the Arab Spring, the Occupy protests, or something else, there was a surge of democratic movements in which we heard voices of people all over the world.  “The protester” is keeping busy this year too, by rallying en masse against SOPA and PIPA, and apparently on Monday in Poland against the government’s plan to sign onto the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).

What really catches my eye in this article is how it pits the protestors against the government, as if they weren’t all part of the same democratic body trying to govern itself in the best way possible.

Read more: http://www.ipbrief.net/2012/01/28/poland-acta-and-blackmail-protesting/