Want a three-strikes provision in your European country? Then expect resistance from EU-level lawmakers and courts, a group that has repeatedly brushed back attempts to disconnect.
On Friday, the European Commission flatly dismissed an EU-wide, three strikes provision. “We are not supporting and will not accept that an eventual ACTA agreement creates an obligation to disconnect people from the internet because of illegal downloads,” EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht told ZDNet UK in a statement.
Drafts of ACTA, or the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, are being debated, and some versions may have leaked. At present, it remains confusing whether top-down, three-strikes provisions have been written into versions, and some reports suggest they have not.
Either way, the prospects for a blanket-level, EU-wide disconnection policy are dimming, though individual countries (notable the UK and France) are forging ahead with their own solutions. “The ‘three-strike rule’ or graduated response systems are not compulsory in Europe. Different EU countries have different approaches, and we want to keep this flexibility,” De Gucht continued.
Report by Alexandra Osorio.
