Hundreds protest against disputed anti-piracy accord

(11 Feb 2012) SHOTLIST 1. Wide pan of protesters 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Elge Merkeviciute, demonstration organiser: "Today we gathered with all the people of different political views, of different organisations, to say a strong no for ACTA. We believe the process itself was really undemocratic and it infringes people's right to privacy." 3. Mid of poster against Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) ++CLIENTS NOTE BANNER CONTAINS PROFANITY++ 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Gytis Burauskas, activist : "Yes we are here gathered against ACTA, so we are for free internet and we are against any kind of censorship, so that's what we do here." 5. Mid of crucifix made of DVDs tilt down to Burauskas 6. Mid of demonstration 7. Poster reading (English) "Stop ACTA." 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Tadas Lisauskas, student: (covering his face) "I protest against ACTA because it is a violation of human rights and it is against our constitution, it is illegal." 9. Various of protesters chanting and jumping 10. Mid of two demonstrators with loudspeakers chanting (English) "ACTA Stop" 11. Pan of crowd chanting 12. Close of protester with ACTA written on face mask STORYLINE Hundreds of protesters rallied in front of government buildings in the Lithuanian capital on Saturday against a proposed intellectual copyright enforcement law. The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) aims to unify international standards on protecting the rights of those who produce music, movies, pharmaceuticals, fashion, and a range of other products that often fall victim to piracy and intellectual property theft. "Today we gathered with all the people of different political views, of different organisations to say a strong no for ACTA. We believe the process itself was really undemocratic and it infringes people's right to privacy," said event organiser Elge Merkeviciute. Protesters chanted slogans and held up banners in a lively protest amid the sub-zero temperatures of Vilnius. The protest included some of those involved with the prolific online 'STOP ACTA' campaign that claims the deal "puts the regulation of freedom of speech in the hands of private companies because it forces third parties, such as internet providers to control online content." One protester carried a crucifix fashioned from DVDs, symbolising the death of data freedom. Several European countries have signed the ACTA, but ratification remains in question as contempt is building against it, mostly from young people. ACTA shares some similarities with the hotly debated Stop Online Piracy Act in the US, which was recently shelved by lawmakers after a swell of opposition that included Wikipedia and Google blacking out or partially obscuring their websites for a day in protest. "I protest against ACTA because it is a violation of human rights and it is against our constitution, it is illegal," said student Tadas Lisauskas. Lithuania signed a trade agreement in January, but the European Parliament will have to pass ACTA before the country considers it for ratification. The European Parliament is set to debate the legislation early this summer. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...