Post Tagged with: "tpp"

Day After C-11 Passes, U.S. Chamber Looking For More Canadian Copyright Reform

Hours after Bill C-11 passed third reading in the House of Commons (the bill receives second reading in the Senate today), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is already calling for more reform. Expressing its support for Canada’s entry into the Trans Pacific Partnership talks, the Chamber argued “issues still remain […]

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June 20, 2012 4 comments News

2nd Tier Status for Canada?: 5 Questions On Canada’s Entry to The Trans Pacific Partnership Talks

U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce today that Canada has been offered the chance to participate in the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations. The offer will be described as big win for the Canadian government, yet reports indicate the conditions for entry may have been very steep. While much […]

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June 19, 2012 18 comments News

EP Committees Reject ACTA As Backlash Against Secretive IP Agreements Continues to Grow

Earlier today, three European Parliament committees studying the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement – the Legal Affairs Committee (JURI), the Committee for Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and the Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) – all voted against implementing ACTA. The rejection from all three committees confirms the lack of support with the Parliament for ACTA. A final European Parliament vote is expected in July with additional committee recommendations coming next month.

The strength of the anti-ACTA movement within the European Parliament is part of a broader backlash against secretive intellectual property agreements that are either incorporated into broad trade agreements or raise critical questions about prioritizing IP enforcement over fundamental rights. This week the Dutch Parliament voted against ratifying the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a move that some experts say could effectively kill ACTA (which is a “mixed agreement”) throughout Europe. In addition to the two anti-ACTA resolutions, the Dutch Parliament passed a third resolution against similar treaties:

The House of Representatives,

– observes that treaties like ACTA lead to a further formalization of copyrights rules on the international level,
– observes that such treaties are very difficult to modify and as a result can be an extra impediment for future reforms of copyright law,
– observes that strict enforcement of intellectual property on the internet is no solution for the ongoing difficulties regarding copyright law and interferes with internet freedom,
– requests the government to vote against new similar treaties,
– requests the government to focus the copyright policy on economic growth opportunities offered by the internet through, amongst others things, new revenue models for legal content.

The opposition to ACTA and ACTA-style treaties (which obviously include the Trans Pacific Partnership and bi-lateral agreements such as CETA) is part of a growing international trend as elected officials and independent policy officials around the world voice their objection to these treaties.

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May 31, 2012 15 comments News

Exporting Copyright: Inside the TPP

Ars Technica has a good article on the Trans Pacific Partnership and the copyright concerns raised by the proposed agreement.

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May 18, 2012 1 comment News

The Yes Men Crash the TPP Party

The Yes Men crashed the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations on Friday, awarding a fake 2012 Corporate Power Tool Award to the negotiators and distributing hundreds of rolls of TPP toilet paper.

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May 14, 2012 1 comment News