A TREATY signed by the Australian government that could have made it illegal to link to, or mention on the web, sites that breach copyright law has been struck down by an all-party parliamentary committee.

The so-called Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement would have also broadened the definition of the term "counterfeiting" to call into question the legality of manufacturing generic medicines. Negotiated largely in secret, and signed by Trade Minister Craig Emerson in Tokyo, the agreement was sent to the committee for examination before ratification.

Parliamentary committee chairman Kelvin Thomson finds Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement dangerously 'open ended'. Credit:Craig Abraham

Usually the committee gives a tick to such agreements. Yesterday in a unanimous report signed by Labor, Green and Coalition members of the Parliament the committee said no.

"During the life of this committee we have recommended the ratification of hundreds of treaties," chairman Kelvin Thomson said yesterday. "It has only been a handful that we have recommended anything other than ratification. This is one of those exceptions."