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“— Think Tank Behind SOPA Says USTR Should Make Sure TPP Includes IP Maximalist Positions | TechdirtITIF, the think tank that was often credited with coming up with the basic idea behind SOPA's horrifying plan to censor websites and break key parts of the basic DNS system (and, which we recently discovered, gets funding from the MPAA) is back and pushing for support of IP maximalism in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. It has re-released a report about how the TPP must be "the gold standard" in trade agreements -- with a key focus on stronger and more limiting IP rules. In a press release about this re-release, ITIF argues for a strong maximalist agenda in the TPP:
Entering into a sub-standard Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement that offers only weak intellectual property (IP) protections or permits countries to maintain mercantilist practices would be far worse than not joining the agreement”
TPP article 16.3 mandates a system of ISP liability that goes beyond the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) standards and US case law. In sum, the TPP pushes a framework beyond ACTA[1] and possibly the spirit of the DMCA, since it opens the doors for:
“ The U.S. government has given itself unchallenged power to shut down or block access to websites, and search engines with virtually no oversight. The failed SOPA bill attempted to limit the online freedoms of individuals and small business ventures while protecting the interests of the Motion Picture Association of America, U.S. politicians and major advertisers. Even without SOPA, the U.S. Government is making a major push to enforce its laws abroad with complete disregard for sovereignty of other nations in order to extradite so-called "criminals" to the US where they will be tried for their "crimes" in American court. ”— Political Prostitution
“ Bill C30, the sweeping Canadian warrantless Internet surveillance bill, is back from the dead. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews (who declared that opposition to his bill was tantamount to support for pedophiles) has been working behind the scenes to resurrect his legislation, joining forces with the US government in the name of "perimeter security." This proposed deal would expand the warrantless surveillance to US authorities, who could also access Canadians' private information. ”— Canada's warrantless surveillance bill is back, and bigger than ever, with surveillance powers for US gov't, too - Boing Boing
“ The Canadian intellectual property's lead lobby group, the Canadian IP Council (itself a group within the Canadian Chamber of Commerce) released a new policy document yesterday that identifies its legislative priorities for the coming years. Anyone hoping that the SOPA protests, the European backlash against ACTA, and the imminent passage of Bill C-11 might moderate the lobby group demands will be sorely disappointed. Counterfeiting in the Canadian Market: How Do We Stop It? is the most extremist IP policy document ever released in Canada, calling for the implementation of ACTA, SOPA-style rules including website blocking and stopping search results from resolving, liability for advertisers and payment companies, massive surveillance at the border and through delivery channels including searching through individual packages without court oversight, and spending hundreds of millions of tax dollars on private enforcement. ”— Michael Geist - The IP Lobby's Post-Bill C-11 Playbook: ACTA, SOPA, Warrantless Search and the Criminalization of IP
“ Today, the European Parliament’s last advisory committee had its say on ACTA – the Development Committee, overseeing third world development and world health issues. It joined its previous committees in recommending that the European Parliament rejects ACTA. ”— Development Committee in European Parliament Also Rejects ACTA - Falkvinge on Infopolicy
“ Three key EU committees have voted against the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (Acta). ”— BBC News - Acta: Piracy treaty dealt critical blows in EU votes
If a few remarks by Chris Dodd are to be believed, the next version of the Stop Online Piracy Act, whatever that might look like, will likely come in early 2013.
Dodd, the CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America—Hollywood’s lobbying arm, as well as a major proponent and lobbying agent for SOPA—was quoted Saturday referencing his eagerness to directly lobby Congress for a new copyright bill on the MPAA’s behalf.
“ Drew Wilson of ZeroPaid has an interesting look at file-sharing. It all started with a review of a Phoenix study that was used to promote SOPA. Wilson says that the study was long on wild claims and short on fact. While most writers would simply criticize the study and move on, Wilson took it a step further and looked in to what file-sharing studies have really been saying throughout the years. What he found was an impressive 19 of 20 studies not getting any coverage. He launched a large series detailing what these studies have to say on file-sharing. The first study suggests that file-sharing litigation was a failure. The second study said that p2p has no effect on music sales. The third study found that the RIAA suppresses innovation. The fourth study says that the MPAA has simply been trying to preserve its oligopoly. The fifth study says that even when one uses the methodology of one download means one lost sale, the losses amount to less than $2 per album. The studies, so far, are being posted on a daily basis and are certainly worth the read. ”— What Various Studies Really Reveal About File-Sharing - Slashdot
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