Modpress

Forhandlingerne om den kommende, ifølge rygterne superhårde og meget skadelige konvention om ophavsret (ACTA) foregår i dybeste hemmelighed, så vi som borgere ikke har mange muligheder for at finde ud af eller blande os i, hvad de er ved at trække ned over hovederne på os. Dette er der ikke enighed om rundt om bordet – ifølge nogle lækkede, hollandske dokumenter er nogle regeringer meget åbne for at tage diskussionen i åbenhed, mens andre – formentlig dem, der er mest i lommen på industrien og dens interesser – presser på for at holde den så hemmelig som mulig.

Blandt de allerstørste syndere er Danmark. Surprise? Michael Geist skriver:

Throughout the debate over ACTA transparency, many countries have taken public positions that they support release of the actual text, but that other countries do not.  Since full transparency requires consensus of all the ACTA partners, the text simply can’t be released until everyone is in agreement.  Of course, those same countries hasten to add that they can’t name who opposes ACTA transparency, since that too is secret.

No longer. In an important new leak from the Netherlands (Dutch, Google English translation), a Dutch memorandum reporting back on the Mexico ACTA negotiation round names names, pointing specifically to which countries support releasing the text and which do not (note that the memo does not canvass everyone – Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are known to support transparency but are not named in the memo).  According to the Dutch memo, the UK has played a lead role in making the case for full disclosure of the documents and is of the view that there is consensus for release of the text (there is support from many countries including the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Hungary, Poland, Estonia, and Austria).  However, the memo indicates that several countries are not fully supportive including Belgium, Portugal, Germany, and Denmark.  Of these four countries, the Dutch believe that Denmark is the most inflexible on the issue.

Skandale – eller …? Geists konklusion: “Those in the U.S., South Korea, Singapore, Belgium, Portugal, Germany, and Denmark should be demanding answers from their leaders”.

Og dét lyder ikke helt dumt.

Link: New ACTA Leak: U.S., Korea, Singapore, Denmark Do Not Support Transparency