European legislators dealt a blow to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, rejecting by a large margin the controversial treaty designed to better protect intellectual property around the world.
The decision on Wednesday makes it highly unlikely that the 27-nation bloc will approve the treaty in its current form and increases the likelihood that the global agreement, which the U.S. has strongly supported, will never come into force. The pact, known as ACTA, aims to create an international system of anti-counterfeiting and property-rights protection measures.
