

Anti-counterfeiting agreement raises constitutional concerns - CitizenKane
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/25/AR2010032502403.html

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CoryOndrejka
Interesting focus on the legality and Constitutionality of how ACTA might be
accepted. Rather than Senate approval, the Obama administration has suggested
the use of "sole executive agreement" option for approval. Scary to think ACTA
could get all the way to approval without public discussion and debate!

EFF has a page for asking your Senator to investigate ACTA here:
[https://secure.eff.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=Us...](https://secure.eff.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=383)

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Judson
Its weird that something like this would be suggested by Obama since he taught
constitutional law at Chicago; I'm sure he knows the supreme court won't just
let him slide by without some kind of appeal.

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jamesbressi
Two things:

1\. This is why there is a need for some true tech-savvy people to stand up
and run for political offices starting yesterday. Policies such as this and
net-neutrality are a bigger issue about our true and natural rights as
citizens of the U.S. and not just someone imposing limits on our beloved
internet. People need to stop looking at this as some fantasy or digital
extension of oneself and realize that it is becoming a major part of our life
and how we navigate through it. I feel like this is why people don't see that
the implications are about stomping all over our constitution because it isn't
a physical property.

2\. Among the many concerns one could raise in this article, the most alarming
is even considering allowing anyone but our own people and government to
control this policy on our soil.

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sliverstorm
What if Obama's approach to the ACTA is a sneaky way of appearing to support
the agreement, while provoking Congress (on totally understandable grounds) to
step in and strike it down out of principal? Thus, Obama is seen to support IP
law, but in the end it doesn't actually do anything ;)

I like to think our President is exceedingly clever, regardless whether it has
a chance of being true. (though not in a, 'I'm going to fool the public' sort
of way)

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benologist
Both Obama and Biden are pro-copyright and for the rights of copyright
holders. I wouldn't put much hope into him doing anything that enables or
protects copyright infringement, or even maintains the current situation where
consequences are hilariously unlikely.

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thwarted
I'm pro-copyright too, since that's the legal basis that gives open source
licenses their power. I'd like to see reform along the lines of _reasonable_
financial damage limits based on acknowledging the nature of digital goods,
mainly lack of scarcity, and move away from the rhetoric that copyright is
useful solely because without it people wouldn't create.

