Brussels, 10 October 2012 – The EU Commission has confirmed that ACTA-like criminal sanctions are currently present in CETA, the Canada-EU Trade Agreement. This attempt by the EU executive to impose repression of online communications through the backdoor is unacceptable. La Quadrature du Net calls on EU citizens to demand their governments remove copyright provisions from CETA during the upcoming round of negotiations1; failing to do so, the final text would have to be opposed as a whole.

• 1. This coming October 15th to October 26th in Brussels.

La Quadrature du Net felt the urge to share works with the Members of the European Parliament and their assistants ahead of the ACTA vote, and in order to shed light on the urgency of reforming copyright. Some of these works aim at enjoyment and others at extending knowledge or enriching the public debate. All of them innovate in content, ways of distribution, economic models and relationship between authors, contributors and users. All citizens can do the same, and share pieces of digital culture with their elected representatives!

Brussels, 25th April 2012 - ACTA is following its way through the committees of the European Parliament. Under strong pressure from the copyright lobbies, ACTA proponents seem to awake and become vocal. With upcoming votes in Legal Affairs (JURI) and Industry (ITRE) committees, it is more than ever time for citizens to convince Members that this dangerous agreement should be rejected, and that copyright should durably be reformed.

Paris, May 24th, 2011 – The “eG8 forum” is a smokescreen behind which hides an alarming alliance of governments attempting to control the Internet and a few corporations making profits from restricting online freedoms1.

• 1. Every plenary and workshop at the “eG8 forum” is mostly filled with the event's corporate sponsors or officials from the French Government. The few folding chairs, hastily added for a few members of “the civil society”, will not fool anyone.

In the coming days, a college meeting of the European Commissioners will take place to decide the future of European copyright policy. This revision takes place in conditions that raise severe concerns from a democratic perspective and put fundamental rights at risk, especially when it comes to the Internet.

Whatever the final text will be after the next negotiation rounds, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) will remain an illegitimate agreement, by its elaboration process (beyond any democratic control) as well as its content (further strengthening of an outdated set of legislation). Access to medicine in the poorest countries and protection of citizens' fundamental rights in their usage of Internet and digital technologies are too crucial issues to be left out to the hazards of closed-doors negotiations.

Strasbourg, June 14th 2010 - Only two weeks of plenary in Strasbourg are left for Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to have a chance to sign Written Declaration 12 (WD12) on ACTA. 150 signatures are still missing, mostly from Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, and Poland.

Brussels, May 30th 2010 - A few hours before the vote on the Gallo report regarding the future of EU copyright, the rapporteur, French sarkozyst Marielle Gallo, has tried to lead her colleagues into voting fake compromise amendments1. Mrs Gallo tries to hide the clash between two very conflicting positions: on one hand, the rapporteur's ultra-repressive logic against online filesharing - including the encouragement of the ACTA agreement and of private copyright police - and on the other hand, the understanding that a successful creative economy will be built with Internet users and not against them. It's up to us, citizens, to help the members of the JURI committee to make the right decision by protecting fundamental freedoms and the public interest.

• 1. These amendments actually are not the object of a compromise and reject the most important points in the proposals of several shadow rapporteurs (members representing the political groups, negociating together compromise amendments)

Strasbourg, May 19, 2010 - Today, with the release of Neelie Kroes' Digital Agenda, the European Commission is unveiling major policy orientations regarding Internet-related policies. Several leaked drafts of the document revealed heavy pressures from various special interest groups. While the general outcome of the final document is encouraging, the crucial question of interoperability and open standards was eventually arbitrated in favour of US software vendors' positions. On IPR enforcement and cybercrime, the worst has been avoided but some very ambiguous wording remains.

Strasbourg, May 19, 2010 - Today, with the release of Neelie Kroes' Digital Agenda, the European Commission is unveiling major policy orientations regarding Internet-related policies. Several leaked drafts of the document revealed heavy pressures from various special interest groups. While the general outcome of the final document is encouraging, the crucial question of interoperability and open standards was eventually arbitrated in favour of US software vendors' positions. On IPR enforcement and cybercrime, the worst has been avoided but some very ambiguous wording remains.