With the conclusion of the 7th round of ACTA negotiations in Guadalajara, Mexico last week, participating countries issued the now-standard boilerplate statement that merely repeats the agenda items and provides no real insight into the progress of the talks. While the statement is does little to advance the desire for greater transparency, reports from New Zealand and Sweden shed far more light on where things stand. The key points:
- The U.S. proposal for Internet enforcement has received considerable public attention, yet there are three proposals on the table that address digital enforcement and safe harbours (ie. intermediary liability). One of New Zealand's negotiators reports that a fourth proposal is currently being formulated and that it could take six more months before this chapter is settled.
- In addition to safe harbour rules, the talks in Mexico also addressed DMCA-style issues such as anti-circumvention legislation.
- The Europeans continue to push for the extension of ACTA beyond copyright and trademarks to also include patents.
- Some countries have become more open to sharing ACTA documents in response to transparency concerns, but there remain some who insist that the discussions remain strictly confidential. Both New Zealand and Sweden are on record as supporting greater transparency.
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U.S. President Barack Obama has reinforced his support for net neutrality. When asked about the issue, he responded "I’m a big believer in Net Neutrality. I campaigned on this. I continue to be a strong supporter of it. My FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has indicated that he shares the view that we’ve got to keep the Internet open, that we don’t want to create a bunch of gateways that prevent somebody who doesn’t have a lot of money but has a good idea from being able to start their next YouTube or their next Google on the Internet." Slashdot, Digg, Del.icio.us, Newsfeeder, Reddit, StumbleUpon, TwitterTagsShareTuesday February 02, 2010 |
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Lawbuzz, a Canadian online chat site devoted to the legal profession, has shut down following a libel lawsuit. The Law Times reports that an Ontario lawyer is speaking out against the site for failing to protect the identity of confidential posters. Slashdot, Digg, Del.icio.us, Newsfeeder, Reddit, StumbleUpon, TwitterTagsShareTuesday February 02, 2010 |
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ACTA continues to generate concern in Europe. EuroISPA, the world's largest ISP association has spoken out against the secret copyright agreement, while two more members of the European Parliament have raised questions. Britta Thomsen, a Social Democrat MEP from Denmark, and Alexander Alvaro, a Free Democratic Party MEP from Germany, have both posted questions about ACTA. Slashdot, Digg, Del.icio.us, Newsfeeder, Reddit, StumbleUpon, TwitterTagsShareTuesday February 02, 2010 |
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CBC.ca has responded to mounting online criticism about its use of iCopyright. TVO's Jesse Brown then responds to the response. Slashdot, Digg, Del.icio.us, Newsfeeder, Reddit, StumbleUpon, TwitterTagsShareTuesday February 02, 2010 |
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