ACTA is effectively dead, the European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda admitted Friday. An official spokesman said the "political reality" was the fight was over.

Neelie Kroes, speaking at a conference in Berlin, told delegates: "We have recently seen how many thousands of people are willing to protest against rules which they see as constraining the openness and innovation of the Internet.

"This is a strong new political voice. And as a force for openness, I welcome it, even if I do not always agree with everything it says on every subject.

"We are now likely to be in a world without SOPA and without ACTA."

Her spokesman agreed that while Ms. Kroes never said ACTA was dead, the "political reality" is that it is.