Fellow readers, you may have been horrified by recent news concerning the leaking of ACTA treaty proposals (TMT News), primarily led by the Obama/Biden administration's industry-fueled intentions for a "graduated response" (a.k.a. three-strikes) policy and for ISPs to actively monitor user activity for signs of piracy and force disconnects. But there is some hope: Last week, after an all-night session to reach a compromise, the European Parliament and Council of Ministers reached a unanimous agreement on the EU Telecoms Reform Package, a set of laws to be imposed on the EU for the sake of increasing competition for ISPs and telecoms. The compromise in question, importantly, added protections to internet users, in particular file-sharers.

In legislation crafted by none other than the Swedish Pirate Party's Christian Engström, the compromise did not prohibit the addition of the troubling three-strikes policy, an issue likely held firm due to the ACTA negotiations. However, the agreement did not demand the policy, either. More importantly, the agreement added grounds that would, in the event of such a policy's implementation, protect users from unjust disconnection and forced compensation. Users would be availed the right to privacy, as well as the right to "a fair and impartial judicial review."

This addition of due process and judicial protection was a surprising yet positive victory for the Party, who will have member Amelia Andersdotter joining the European Parliament when the Treaty of Lisbon goes into effect December 1. Most importantly, it marks the first significant strike against the impending ACTA treaty. When the world's nations return to the negotiating table in January, these new laws will be put at stake and may force the Obama/Biden administration to compromise or back down on many of its proposals. The likelihood of compromise is high: The next round of negotiations is taking place in Stockholm, home territory of the Pirate Party.

There is hope for us yet.