The European Parliament has rejected the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) by an overwhelming majority in today’s final plenary vote.

478 MEPs voted to reject the controversial copyright and counterfeiting treaty, with 39 voting in favour of ratification, and 165 abstaining.

In the wake of the rejection vote, EuroISPA, LINX’s partner organisation at the European level, issued the following statement:

EuroISPA and its members welcome the European Parliament’s decision to call for a more balanced approach in the protection of the fundamental rights at stake when the EU negotiates international treaties. The European Parliament found that the intended benefits of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) were far outweighed by the potential threats to civil liberties and the legal uncertainties about the role of Internet Service Providers in enforcing intellectual property rights.