Estonia, Internet, Legislation, Technology

"Different from fears expressed in the public, ACTA agreement does not contain any principles unknown for the Estonian legal order so far. The majority of the conditions that ACTA sets are in the laws valid in Estonia already in one or another form," said justice ministry private law service head Indrek Niklus.

Niklus said that according to ACTA, the rights of authors will have to be looked at in the context of basic freedoms and rights and the rights of authors are not raised above others there as compared to rights of others in any way, the ministry evaluates.

"For example it does not mean bigger obligations to providers of internet service as compared to today, contrary to what has been claimed," said Niklus.

Niklus said that ACTA does not prescribe misdemeanours becoming crimes and the Estonian punitive legislation is already in line with the agreement or even stricter.

The ministry added that member states of the agreement have been lefts sufficient space to design their domestic laws in this context.