ACTA in death throes after rejection vote

ACTA, the contentious anti-piracy agreement, has been overwhelmingly rejected by a key European Parliament committee ahead of a wider vote.

Three European Parliament committees have voted to reject ACTA, before the anti-piracy treaty goes for a full ratification vote in July. Image credit: Salajean/Shutterstock

Three committees voted on Thursday on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, which would harmonise anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy measures in the EU and other signing countries, including the US.

The members of European Parliament on the Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) all voted bar one against the agreement. The Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) voted by a narrow majority to reject it, while the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) also voted against by a majority.

The rejections follow the treaty's rapporteur, David Martin, advising fellow parliamentarians not to pass the agreement in Europe's 27 member states. The committee decisions send the strongest signal yet that European politicians are ready to veto the treaty.

A fourth group of MEPS, the Committee on International Trade (INTA), will cast their ballots on 21 June. It will be the final vote before the agreement goes before the full European Parliament for ratification in the its July plenary session, a month later than expected.

For more on this ZDNet UK-selected story, see EU sends strongest signal yet to reject ACTA on ZDNet.com.