US ambassador Alan Solomont wrote: ‘[Spain] has unfortunately failed to finish the job for political reasons, to the detriment of the reputation and economy of Spain’ Photograph: Juan Medina/Reuters
By Dominic Rushe
The US ambassador in Madrid threatened Spain with “retaliation actions” if the country did not pass tough new internet piracy laws, according to leaked documents.
The latest revelation comes amid a fierce debate over America’s own plans to pass online piracy legislation that critics claim will damage the infrastructure of the internet and restrict free speech.