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Anti-piracy act, ACTA, falters in European Union

BERLIN, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A controversial anti-piracy agreement is running into some trouble in Europe with five European Union member states saying they're delaying their approval.

Germany said Friday it has no immediate plans to agree to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement following similar decisions from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Latvia, PC Magazine reported.

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ACTA, first proposed in 2007, was signed Oct. 1 by the United States, Australia, Canada, Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Morocco, and Singapore.

Twenty-two of the 27 EU member states signed the agreement on Jan. 26 but the European Parliament still has to ratify it and is expected to debate ACTA this summer.

ACTA has drawn fire for how it might affect Internet freedom, the same kind of protests that derailed the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the United States.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has denounced ACTA as unconstitutional and a threat to the Internet.

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