BRUSSELS (AP) ? EU officials, alarmed by protests in European cities over the weekend, are asserting that a new international anti-counterfeiting treaty will change nothing at all for EU citizens ? but that the bloc must ratify it as an example to other countries.
One official says that, “for the European citizen, whatever is legal today will continue to be legal the day after ACTA comes into force.” ACTA stands for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity in exchange for briefing reporters on the content of the treaty ? a common European Union practice.
On Saturday, protesters in Berlin, Helsinki and many other European cities said they feared the treaty would lead to censorship and a loss of privacy on the Internet.