Category Copyright Policy

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Capture, Sunlight, And The TPP Leak

Margot Kaminski writes in Concurring Opinions: Yesterday, Wikileaks leaked the draft IP chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). The US Trade Representative has shown the draft text to its closed advisory committees, but not to anybody else. Content industries and pharmaceutical industries sit on the IP advisory committee. Internet industries, smaller innovators, generics companies, and public interest groups do not. This is no accident. When Congress established the trade negotiating system, it exempted the Trade Representative from requirements of an open government law that was enacted to prevent agency capture.

Desperate Final Stretch For The “Marco Civil Do Brasil”

The original 10 internet governance principles that formed the basis for Brazil's Marco Civil legislation were presented proudly by the Brazilian delegation to the Internet Governance Forum in Vilnius. That was in 2010. In 2012, civil society organisations warned that an amended Marco Civil could erode freedom of the internet. It took yet another year and former NSA contractor Edward Snowden to bring the original ideas, developed in a forward-looking broad public consultation process, back to the floor of the Brazilian Parliament – and there the fight was going on tonight (14 November).

“Licences For Europe” Stakeholder Dialogue Ends With Some Agreement, Some Criticism

Licences for Europe, a European Commission-launched stakeholder dialogue intended to make more copyright-protected content available online, ended today with some concrete proposals but also some criticism. The exercise - which focussed on cross-border access and portability of services, user-generated content and micro-licensing, audiovisual cultural heritage, and text and data mining - brought applause from book publishers and commercial broadcasters, but complaints from civil society groups and internet companies.

Wikileaks’ Release Of TPP Chapter On IP Blows Open Secret Trade Negotiation

For years, the United States and partner governments have worked vigorously to keep the publics they represent from knowing what they are negotiating behind closed doors in the top-secret Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. But today’s Wikileaks release of the draft intellectual property chapter blew that up, confirming the fears of public interest groups that this is an agreement heavily weighted toward big industry interests.

US Civil Society Demand To Know If They Were Spied On: ‘Core American Principles’ At Stake

Nearly 40 US civil society groups - including some household names in consumer protection - today sent a letter to the heads of the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) demanding to know if their activities related to US trade policy have been spied on. The groups said core American principles are at stake and that they have a right to the assurance that their operations are not under surveillance by US government agencies.

US Patriot Act Author Sensenbrenner Warns EU Parliament On NSA

US Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner at a hearing today of the European Parliament Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Committee on mass surveillance by the National Security Agency (NSA) and other intelligence services asked the EU politicians "to work pragmatically with the United States to continue balanced efforts to protection our nations" and "rebuild trust while defending civil liberties and national security on both sides of the Atlantic."

US Loses Its Vote At UNESCO For Failing To Pay Dues

The United States today lost its right to vote in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) General Conference for failing to pay its dues. The US withheld its dues after UNESCO members voted to grant Palestinian membership in 2011. The US has legislation against Palestinian membership as a state in organisations.