Quick guide to ACTA and other internet legislation

Earlier this week the European Parliament (EP) voted overwhelmingly to reject the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) with 478 MEPs voting against the treaty, to just 39 in favour.

This vote led to huge acclaim from internet advocacy groups, with the likes of the Open Right's Group (ORG), the Pirate Party and La Quadrature du Net all welcoming the vote from those in the parliament.

Many citizens had also been involved in this triumph, as it was protests around Europe earlier this year that led many European leaders to admit they had voted for ACTA without fully realising its content.

However, while ACTA may appear to be on its way out, there are numerous other pieces of internet legislation that have internet groups concerned that are working their way through the legal process or already on the statue books.

The Digital Economy Act

First envisioned by the Labour government back in 2009 as a way of curbing online copyright infringement and illegal downloads, the DEA is one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in the modern age.

Criticisms have ranged from its position of assuming people are guilty unless they can prove otherwise to the fact account holders will bear the brunt of the law, even if they are not responsible for the downloads. 

Accusations that the Act was introduce to please lobbyists from big businesses in the media sector have also flown around, with the revelations that the law was based solely on right holders' data largely proving this was the case.

Despite huge protests the Act was passed in the wash-up in 2010 and is now on the statue books, despite legal challenges from BT and TalkTalk.

The latest process in its ongoing introduction took place in June when Ofcom confirmed the processes by which firms must inform customers of accusations of copyright infringement.

This includes the fact anyone wishing to challenge these claims will have to pay £20 upfront in a move that angered numerous rights groups.

"The appeals are a joke. The government has decided that 'I didn't do it' is not a defence," rallied ORG executive director Jim Killock. "Some people will almost certainly end up in court having done nothing wrong."

Nevertheless, the system should be in action by early 2014, with letters arriving on doormats of confused and then disgruntled customers who suddenly realise the situation the government has placed them thanks to the DEA.