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Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement
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Databases worldwide contain information that links each of us, among many other things, to our home address. Many number of organisations hold database records that recognise us for various reasons, as being the rightful owner/occupier of our home and most of us are issued with and hold documents to prove it.
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Register our IP addresses?
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Our vehicle's details are stored in the databases of many different organisations and we are issued with documents to identify the vehicle and the owner/keeper/user.
Why then, shouldn't we register our internet (IP) address and identify ourself as the rightful user of that address and have our computers registered in a database identifying us as the owner/keeper/user of our computer? Then, in the same way as the police can easily trace us back to our vehicle and home address, we
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could also be traced back to our computer/IP address. Why would we object? After all, we wouldn't want to be held responsible should our vehicle be stolen and used in a robbery for example. In the event that our IP address was used to break a law. Wouldn't registering our computer/IP address protect us in a similar way?
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I ask this question because secret trade negotiations are taking place between the US, the EU, Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Switzerland that may result in internet service providers being held 'more' responsible if their networks are used to carry illegal content. The anti-counterfeiting trade agreement (Acta) will make it easier for governments in the fight against the illegal distribution of copyrighted (pirated) content such as music, films, television programmes and counterfeited electronic and pharmaceuticals. The agreement will shift the onus of enforcement from the owners of the copyright to the ISPs who will all have to register to receive 'take-down' notices and terminate the accounts of users who are found to be 'repeat' infringers.
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As usual, persistent down loaders of copyrighted music, film and tv programmes will be 'vocal' and condemn this move as an infringement on their rights of privacy, but under the terms of the agreement, there is no doubt, by shifting the onus to the internet service provider, that it will be easier and cheaper for the owners of the copyrighted material to block 'repeat' infringers from using the internet. Imagine for a moment that your name was included in a database of 'black-listed' internet users and that you couldn't obtain an internet connection from 'any' ISP!
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ACTA - Any comments or, questions?
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