Czech government suspends ACTA ratificationFebruary 7, 2012 - 10:48 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Czech government will suspend the process of ratification of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), Prime Minister Petr Necas (Civic Democrats, ODS) said, adding the government will still analyze the issue, ceskenoviny.cz reported. A wave of protests against the international agreement, including hackers´ attacks, has swollen in the world as well as in the Czech Republic. "By no means would the government admit a situation where civic freedoms and free access to information would be threatened," Necas said. That is why the government will analyze the issue and have it assessed by experts. "We really must look into the impact it would have in real life," Necas said. The goal of ACTA, which 22 countries, including the Czech Republic, joined in January, is to set rules to enhance the observance of copyright, i.e. fight against the spread of illegal copies and fakes of all kinds, including music and film recordings, medicines, brand clothes, electronics etc. In the past days, Internet activists blocked the websites of the Czech government, the OSA copyright protection association, the Chamber of Deputies and of Necas´s senior ruling ODS over the Czech joining ACTA. "I want to emphasize that no checks of laptops on the borders, no monitoring of Internet users, no filtrations and similar things have ever threatened in the Czech Republic. No such threat has ever existed for a single moment," Necas said. ACTA would take effect in the Czech Republic only after it is ratified by parliament. Many deputies have made it clear that they have a problem supporting it. The Industry and Trade Ministry says ACTA´s ratification also requires President Vaclav Klaus’s signature. A stormy debate on ACTA is also expected in the European Parliament. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Lithuania sending €100,000 to help Armenia fight floods consequences Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took to social media to thank his Lithuanian counterpart for the contribution. Armenia: Rescue workers restore pedestrian bridge for flood-hit community Rescue workers on Wednesday, June 5 restored a pedestrian bridge in the town of Alaverdi in Armenia’s north. U.S. “deeply troubled” by Azerbaijan's arrest of civil society members The United States is deeply troubled by the continued arrest of members of Azerbaijani civil society, Matthew Miller has said. Turkey condemns Uruguay’s recognition of Armenian Genocide Turkey has condemned a newly passed law in Uruguay that recognizes the Armenian Genocide, TRT reports. |