EU court to assess anti-piracy act

The European Commission has asked Europe's highest court to assess whether a controversial anti-piracy act infringes rights and freedoms afforded to Europeans. The commission wants the court to determine if the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is incompatible with rights such as "freedom of expression and information or data protection and the right to property in case of intellectual property," EU Commissioner Karel De Gucht said a statement Wednesday. He stressed the agreement "will not censor Web sites or shut them down" and "will not hinder freedom of the Internet or freedom of speech. However, he said, a judicial review would provide some clarity on these issues, PC Magazine reported. ACTA, first proposed in 2007, has been signed by the United States, Australia, Canada, Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Morocco, Singapore and 22 of the 27 EU member states, but must still be ratified by the European Parliament. ACTA prompted widespread protests in Europe similar to those that derailed the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act in the United States. "Let me be very clear: I share people's concern for these fundamental freedoms," De Gucht said. "I welcome that people have voiced their concerns so actively -- especially over the freedom of the Internet. Because of the controversy surrounding the agreement, the judicial review "is a needed step," he said.