Transcript
OCCUPY SAN ANTONIO WE ARE THE 99%
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 11, 2012 5:00 A.M.
CONTACT: OCCUPY SAN ANTONIO XXX XXX XXXX
OCCUPY SAN ANTONIO TO DEMONSTRATE AGAINST ACTA
Concerns over act, along with lack of transparency or public input trouble group
Occupy San Antonio will be demonstrating in opposition to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) from 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. on Saturday, February 11, 2011, in front of the FBI office on 5740 University Heights Blvd. ACTA, which was signed by President Obama in October of last year, is an international agreement with the seemingly good purpose of establishing an international framework for targeting counterfeit goods, generic medicines, and copyright infringement. However, it seeks to create a new governing body outside of already existing forums such and the World Intellectual Property Organization or the United Nations and outside the grasp of reform by the nations that signed it. Occupy San Antonio believes elected representatives need to represent the interests of the people, and in such, must have open and transparent processes. ACTA does not represent the best interest of the people, evidenced by the fact that while large corporate interests, such as the Motion Picture Association of America and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America were active in its development, there was an exclusion of non-governmental organizations, developing countries (who would still be held to the rulings) and of the general public. In the United States, it was signed without the purview of the Senate, the House, or the American public. There are serious concerns with ACTA, including its vague language which can lead to different interpretations and possible abuse. Border enforcement is left to the interpretation of the separate nations. The language on key terms like counterfeit and piracy in not clearly defined leaving no clear standard to differentiate between large-scale commercial infringement and ordinary, unintentional acts of infringement, leaving individuals open to searches, monitoring, and possibly prosecution. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) may be held liable for illegitimate material hosted or transferred through their site, even if it is without their knowledge. ISPs would then have to monitor content of users, which could lead to loss of privacy for individual users. Generic pharmaceuticals could be seen as counterfeits, a concern to both the companies that manufacture them and the countless people throughout the world that depend on them. Genetically modified seeds are considered intellectual property, and as such, accidental cross contamination with other seeds could be seen as copyright infringement. ACTA also gives copyright holders power over the fine amounts to levy against copyright
infringers, which can lead to abuse and non-uniform standards. None of these issues were ever brought to a vote or even discussed with the public. OSA selected this site for a demonstration because the FBI is part of the Task Force on Intellectual Property and is charged with investigating criminal counterfeiting and piracy. Occupy San Antonio believes that without accountability and transparency, democracy is not possible. ### Occupy San Antonio, www.occupysatx.com, is a leaderless resistance movement, born out of solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, made up of people of many colors, genders, and political persuasions. The one thing that all have in common is being part of the 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the top 1%. Inspired by the revolutionary Arab Spring and using the power of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants, this Occupy movement empowers real people to create real change from the bottom up.