The exact dates are not yet confirmed officially, but the next ACTA negotiation meeting is in NZ in April. A leaked report on the Mexico meeting written by one of the EU negotiators states that the meeting is scheduled for April 12-16 in Wellington. It appears a major focus of the April talks will be enforcement in the digital environment.

In an article written yesterday Cory Doctorow said:

"The next ACTA round is in New Zealand this April, and activists are gearing up for a fight. In NZ, the local copyfighters are blooded and battle-hardened, having recently beaten back the 92A regulation that would have allowed movie and music companies to kick people off the Internet if they were accused – without proof – of copyright infringement."

It seems New Zealand advocates for what Hillary Clinton refers to as 'Internet Freedom', for open commercial innovation in technology and business models, and for fair and balanced copyright law, have gained an international reputation for standing up and persuading their government to listen.

The time to test that reputation has come again. This issue is more complex than section 92A, given the different legal frameworks of each of the countries involved, complicated technical protection measures and concepts, and a lack of clarity on the intended/unitended impacts of the trade agreement on domestic law and enforcement practices.

Engaging with ACTA has been difficult due to the secrecy surrounding the talks, and the very general nature of the information provided to date by MED/MFAT about the content of the talks. It is understood though that MED/MFAT will be releasing a discussion paper on ACTA in late February and will be seeking public consultation during March. The organisations represented in the acta.net.nz coalition will be coordinating responses to this, and you are encouraged to participate and/or submit your own responses

In addition those in the acta.net.nz coalition are currently planning activities before and during the April negotiations in Wellington. Please send us suggestions, follow us on Twitter and/or create an account on this site and we'll keep you informed as plans develop. Be ready to again stand up for your democratic right to debate issues that affect your future in a free, open and transparent way.