ACTA in a Nutshell –

What is ACTA?  ACTA is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. A new intellectual property enforcement treaty being negotiated by the United States, the European Community, Switzerland, and Japan, with Australia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Jordan, Morocco, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada recently announcing that they will join in as well.

Why should you care about ACTA? Initial reports indicate that the treaty will have a very broad scope and will involve new tools targeting “Internet distribution and information technology.”

What is the goal of ACTA? Reportedly the goal is to create new legal standards of intellectual property enforcement, as well as increased international cooperation, an example of which would be an increase in information sharing between signatory countries’ law enforcement agencies.

Negotiating Parties - 

• Australia
• Canada
• European Union
• Japan
• Mexico
• Morocco
• New Zealand
• The Republic of Korea
• Singapore
• Switzerland
• United States

Essential ACTA Resources - 

• HOW TO ACT AGAINST ACTA: Make a difference
• Read more about ACTA here: ACTA Fact Sheet
• Read the authentic version of the ACTA text as of 15 April 2011, as finalized by participating countries here: ACTA Finalized Text
• Follow the history of the treaty’s formation here: ACTA history
• Read letters from U.S. Senator Ron Wyden wherein he challenges the constitutionality of ACTA: Letter 1 | Letter 2 | Read the Administration’s Response to Wyden’s First Letter here: Response
• Watch a short informative video on ACTA: ACTA Video
• Watch a lulzy video on ACTA: Lulzy Video
• Reuters: ACTA signed in Tokyo: Article
• United States ACTA: Read
• European Union Trade Commission ACTA: Read
• Australian Gov’t ACTA: Read
• Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic: Read
• ACTA Undermines Access to Medicines: Article

Say NO to ACTA. It is essential to spread awareness and get the word out on ACTA. #ActAgainstACTA