ACTA Will Criminalize CD Copies, iPods at Border Crossings

[IdolEyes787]

"Under the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) at Canadian border crossings laptops, discs, and iPods will be subject to search, destruction, and fines if infringed copyright material is found. Wikileaks, known for stirring up controversy, leaked secret plans by the U.S. government to enter into a far-reaching new internet monitoring and regulation act known as the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) with Japan, the European Commission, and Switzerland. The new act was known in some circles as a "Pirate Bay killer", referring to the Swedish torrent site The Pirate Bay, as the new act criminalized nonprofit "facilitation of copyright infringement". However, the bill also included provisions which would make many commonly used privacy tools illegal and would demand that ISPs provide the government with complete user histories.

The leaked ACTA documents indicate that the new agreement marks a dramatic departure from previous anti-infringement efforts in that it authorizes government action against suspected infringers without any request from the copyright holders. In the past the copyright holders, or organizations that represented them such as the RIAA or IFPI took action again infringers. The new act gives government officials "authority to take action against infringers", essentially making them a government RIAA of sorts. For some users the new act may be "bye bye" to their iPod or laptop. Under the new act the border agents could destroy any devices found to hold copyright content that is deemed infringed. The new agreement states that it's oriented towards increased "civil enforcement" measures. And don't plan on having a lawyer present; the act includes "authority to order ex parte searches" (searches without a lawyer present) and "and other preliminary measures"."

Source: http://www.techamok.com/?pid=4596

[killuminati96]

what seems BS about this to me besides the obvious...is that someone can legally BUY A CD FROM THE MUSIC STORE and rip it on their iPod or PC for personal use and these dipshits will smash their pc to pieces etc over it? they can't prove if it was obtained illegally or not..i smell lawsuit when the first pc gets busted up hahahaha i hate this world more and more everyday i continue to breath

[colbert]

This whole thing is bogus and ridiculous. How can they tell if my mp3's are legal copies or stolen? There's no practical way to tell.

[S!X]

These people are losing their fucking minds. Get serious!

[lynx]

To be fair, I think this has largely been misreported.

The prime target of the act is to prevent counterfeits, not catch people with copies of music on their ipods etc. For example, if you've got a bag that claims to be a Gucci, it had better be a Gucci or it can be confiscated.

I believe this is already quite heavily enforced at many Italian customs posts, and it is spreading across Europe. People have literally had the shirts removed from their backs.

Could be worth looking out for.

[thedemon44]

To be fair, I think this has largely been misreported.

The prime target of the act is to prevent counterfeits, not catch people with copies of music on their ipods etc. For example, if you've got a bag that claims to be a Gucci, it had better be a Gucci or it can be confiscated.

I believe this is already quite heavily enforced at many Italian customs posts, and it is spreading across Europe. People have literally had the shirts removed from their backs.

Could be worth looking out for.

Ouch, buyer beware to the extreme.

[tknaught]

As someone who has been the victim of purchasing counterfeited goods, I hope they do more to reign it in.