The current controversy over SOPA and PIPA legislation has become a very hot topic on almost every tech news blog. Many gamers possibly recall when the Entertainment Software Association ditched their support for the Stop Online Piracy Act. However, some people in the gaming community have now turned their criticisms towards the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. Although it might not sound like PC gaming news, opponents of ACTA claim that they believe it could seriously hurt civil liberties for those on the Internet.

## Accusations of Censorship

Organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation believe that the agreement was negotiated with no public scrutiny, and it can lead to movements that censor and block use of internet resources. Signatory countries of the agreement are supposed to promote what it deems to be cooperative efforts with the business network, but many people are worried that these may lead to agreements to monitor and regulate the use of the Internet by private citizens. This might lead one back to the concept that something as simple as a tech news blog may be individually regulated.

## Constitutionality of the ACTA Text

As well as the fact that the treaty agreement might lead to Internet censorship to be instituted on a large scale, some pc game news websites also have raised the question of whether or not the actions are actually lawful to begin with. Presidential approval of the document was based on it being an executive agreement, but there are people that claim that signing treaties without congressional oversight is unlawful. The US Senate could, in theory, challenge the signing on these grounds.

## Apparent Outcry from Some People in Japan

A few pc gaming news outlets have already brought up the fact that previous similar talks about intellectual property regulation continues to be met with some resistance in Japan. There’s probably no country more linked to video games and popular culture than Japan, and the manga artist Ken Akamatsu seems to have specifically raised concerns on the TPP talks. As the creator of Love Hina, that has seen video game adaptations for numerous platforms, he brought up concerns over what the TPP could do to derivate fan works.

## Lingering Effects May Also Set off Gamers

Some pc game news websites have probably also pointed out that this discussion is certainly not new. A Canadian academic commentator named Michael Geist had said that ACTA measures were far too secretive as far back as June 2008. While intellectual property infringement is a serious problem, lots of people in the pc game news field seem to feel that this is not the best way to combat it.

For the latest wii game review and xbox 360 game reviews, visit igxpro.net – Video Game News – Tech News – Geek Resource

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,