EU Parliament rejects ACTA by massive 478 vote from MEPs

The controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) was rejected by the European Parliament on Wednesday, and hence cannot become law in the European Union. This was the first time that Parliament exercised its Lisbon Treaty power to reject an international trade agreement. A total of 478 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted against the ACTA, 39 were in favor, with 165 abstaining.

The vote dealt a blow to European Commissioner Karel De Gucht, who sought to dissuade MEPs from voting on the international treaty before the European Court of Justice gave its opinion. The vote against ACTA was not one against the protection of intellectual property,” said the Parliament President Martin Schulz, adding: “On the contrary, the European Parliament staunchly supports the fight against piracy and counterfeiting, which harm European companies and pose a threat to consumer health and European jobs."

"I am very pleased that Parliament has followed my recommendation to reject ACTA," said rapporteur David Martin (S&D, UK), after the vote, reiterating his concerns that the treaty is too vague, open to misinterpretation and could therefore jeopardize citizens' liberties. However, he also stressed the need to find alternative ways to protect intellectual property in the EU, as the "raw material of the EU economy."