Poland rejects Internet treaty

Poland's prime minister says his country will not ratify an international copyright agreement that has infuriated Internet users and acknowledged he was wrong to have ever supported it.

The move marks a victory for grass-roots activists who have been waging protests for weeks against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, a treaty aimed at fighting international property theft. The critics say it would violate freedom of expression and privacy on the Internet.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday that although Poland signed the treaty last month it was abandoning earlier plans for ratification.

He said he now sees his earlier support for the deal as a mistake.

Slovenia's government said earlier Friday that it also is halting ratification of the treaty. (nvn)