Ansip Critical of ACTA Defeat
Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said there was "not much to be pleased about" in regard to the European Parliament's rejection of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) as the problem of intellectual property protection remains unsolved.
"As some members of the European Parliament have said, emotions have become mixed with rational arguments. This flat rejection of ACTA cannot be considered well-founded, knowing that the European Court of Justice is still in the process of developing its position on this issue," Ansip commented at the government press conference on July 5.
"There is not much to be pleased about, because the questions that surround the protection of intellectual property still lack answers on an international level. ACTA proposed a solution, but since it has been rejected, the problem remains unsolved," he added.
Ansip also gave an example, noting that if Estonian entrepreneurs were interested in entering a small, remote market in a country that had signed ACTA, they would have felt safe doing business there. "As it is now, if they do not get to know the market thoroughly, they might lose their property. That is the reality."
The Prime Minister also said that he was glad that the kind of arguments that were presented in Estonia were not employed in the European Parliament. He was referring to the fact that opponents alleged that it would affect a wide array of civil liberties issues.
The European Parliament dealt the legislation a resounding defeat in a vote on July 4.
Sigrid Maasen