Disgruntled mob descends on British Music House

A small group of protesters gathered outside British Music House this Saturday (11 February) to protest the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). The treaty has so far been signed by 22 EU members, including the UK, but has yet to be ratified by the European Parliament. Saturday saw a coordinated day of protests in various European countries, with large demonstrations in Germany, the Netherlands and Poland, and a rather more modest event taking place in Berners St.

That the protesters are disgruntled is plain enough, but exactly what they are disgruntled about is less clear as the treaty will not result in any additional legislation governing the use of intellectual property on the internet in the UK. ISPs are not obliged to monitor traffic. ACTA contains no web-blocking provisions or graduated response regime. It won't block generic drugs.

Baroness Wilcox parliamentary under-secretary for Business, Innovation and Skills said in a statement to the BBC: "It was important for the UK to be a signatory of ACTA as it will set an international standard for tackling large-scale infringements of [intellectual property rights], through the creation of common enforcement standards and more effective international cooperation. During the negotiations, we continually pushed for greater transparency as we believed that this would have led to a better understanding of the agreement by the public."

Andrew Orlowski, writing in The Register, observes: "ACTA lost its digital copyright provisions long ago, but the mob hasn't noticed. Many of the claims made for ACTA are completely false. ACTA is a non-binding agreement that doesn't, in any case, apply to countries such as the UK, which have their own IP enforcement initiatives. The passage of the Digital Economy Act in 2010 made the entire discussion moot."

Rather than protesting outside an empty building on a chilly Saturday afternoon, those protesting might have been better employed actually reading the treaty, which can be found here.

ICMP, along with other organisations, has written to MEPs and national MPs on the issue as follows:

"As music publishers our role is to invest in, nurture and promote composers and song writers and to find a commercial outlet for their work; as the global trade association representing music publishers one of our key aims therefore is to protect and promote copyright.   In this regard, ICMP,  along with over 80 other organisations, all dependent on intellectual property, is sending you the attached letter in support of ACTA as we are deeply concerned by the recent debates within the EU Institutions, the disinformation circulating around the Agreement and its hijacking by “copyleft” organisations and individuals.  

"ICMP strongly believes that the Agreement provides a useful international legal framework to protect IPRs while also offering individual countries the flexibility to legislate in accordance with their national systems.  In particular we subscribe to the goal of promoting stronger international cooperation, which is an essential feature of any effective effort against counterfeiting and piracy.  The adoption of ACTA recognises the importance of strong IP protection in developing the creative and innovative sectors of our economies, creating good jobs, increasing cultural diversity, promoting technological advances, enhancing the rule of law, and boosting legal trade in products and services protected by IP laws.   We would ask you to give considered opinion to your position on ACTA and we are happy to provide any further information you may require".