ACTA and internet neutrality, intellectual property

11 posts / 0 new

Sun, 2012-01-29 07:17

ilha formosa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement

Quote:
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a draft plurilateral agreement for the purpose of establishing international standards for intellectual property rights enforcement. The agreement aims to establish an international legal framework for targeting counterfeit goods, generic medicines and copyright infringement on the Internet, and would create a new governing body outside existing forums, such as the World Trade Organization, the World Intellectual Property Organization, or the United Nations.

Sun, 2012-01-29 07:31

ilha formosa

Another "trade agreement," arrived through a process fittingly classified as "policy-laundering." The WTO of so-called "intellectual property" (a concept worthy of deconstruction) has arrived.

The first time I heard of this monster was two days ago via a petition alert. Why not earlier??? The secretive process for these treaties is dirty and close to criminal. Check the wikipedia article for those shut out of the process, opposed to the "trade agreement," or who requested more information but were denied. Etc.

The economic interests of big players (f^ckers) trump the free flow of information among ordinary people.

[Dear Moderators: another related thread in this section was on the US legislation, so I started this new thread on the international agreement.]

Sun, 2012-01-29 21:37

radiorahim radiorahim's picture

The NDP's Charlie Angus has been raising this issue for at least a year.

Youtube video here

ACTA and CETA are examples of the way so called "trade agreements" are being negotiated these days (in secret).

I also agree that we should never lend any credibility to the term "intellectual property"...this phoney corporate idea that a) copyright, trademark and patents are somehow "the same" and should be lumped together and b) that these different sets of laws/traditions have the same attributes as physical property.

The best deconstruction of the concept that I'm aware of was written by Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation here.

Mon, 2012-01-30 01:24

ilha formosa

Thanks very much for the info. I get info feeds from progressives sources, and think this should have been a bigger blip on the radar. Congratulations to the stealth technology used to get ACTA through.

As I understand, under the guise of anti-piracy laws, ACTA can increase surveillance powers and penalties for information sharing. It will require internet service providers to reveal information on users under the auspices of cracking down on piracy. Piracy will be widely defined.

So what are the next steps for the plutocrats? Widening the definition of copyright; bringing more and more websites, publications, etc under proprietorship;...what else?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_bERAf5KAg

I hope this turns out to be their bridge too far.

Mon, 2012-01-30 01:40

ilha formosa

Not being an expert on this, how does the global ACTA relate to the American SOPA and PIPA? If ACTA is ratified, are the other two just icing on the cake?

How long before babble.com has to make changes in its conditions of use due to these so called trade agreements?

Sun, 2012-02-05 22:48

NDPP

ACTA: The Corporate Usurpation of the Internet - by Nils Bowie

http://www.landdestroyer.blogspot.com/2012/02/acta-corporate-usurpation-...

"In the wake of a public outcry against internet regulation bills such as SOPA and PIPA, representatives of the EU have signed new and far more threatening legislation yesterday in Tokyao. Under the guise of protecting intellectual property rights, the treaty introduces measures that would allow the private sector to enforce sweeping central authority over internet content.."

Anonymous Calls for Anti-ACTA Rallies, Poland Suspends Bill (and vid)

http://rt.com/news/acta-protest-sweden-poland-491/

"A wolf in sheep's clothing - that's how ACTA opponents have described teh internaitonal copyright treaty. Thousands are to protest in Sweden on Saturday while in Poland the legislation has been suspended after attacks on government websites.."

Sun, 2012-02-05 23:12

radiorahim radiorahim's picture

According to this article on ZDNet, Poland is holding ACTA up after huge protests and the Slovenian ambassador in Tokyo was saying that she signed the agreement by mistake not really knowing what she was signing.

Canada has already signed off on ACTA even though most Canadians have been asleep at the switch and don't even know that it exists. The real fight seems to be happening in Europe.

Sun, 2012-02-05 23:23

NDPP

radiorahim wrote:

most Canadians have been asleep at the switch and don't even know that it exists.

NDPP

alas, this is increasingly the case with almost any issue of importance...

Voltaire's famous quote most certainly applies to canukleheads:

'Of one thing only can we be sure...we shall remain stupid.'

Fri, 2012-02-10 02:38

ilha formosa

"trade agreement" = "privatization agreement"

http://eelv.fr/2012/02/07/les-citoyens-et-les-elus-europeens-doivent-se-...

European Greens link in French

Demonstrations against ACTA scheduled for Feb. 11.

Fri, 2012-02-10 13:08

#10

ilha formosa

In Canada, it's Bill C-11.

Quote:
Massive media conglomerates are lobbying the government to create shadowy legislation: an Internet lock-down, where Internet users are cut off for no good reason, where vast swaths of the Internet are removed or hidden from view, and where users are locked out of their own services.

Hopefully all the file sharers, those in the open source community and others will be spurred to action for internet freedom. Maybe it will get more people off their duffs and out into the real world if Internet content turns as vapid as television.

Thu, 2012-04-19 14:09

#11

NDPP

'ACTA A Web Police Project' (and vid)

http://rt.com/news/acta-internet-police-martin-448/

"...it had a number of unintended consequences. One was it would put a duty on internet service providers to effectively act as a European police force of the internet. I don't think that's right. I thin that's for the formal judicial authorities. Second, I did not like the idea that ACTA could possibly have criminalized young people who are quite innocently downloading films and music in the privacy of their own homes.

The US, most of the EU, Australia, Canada, Japan and several other countries have signed the ACTA treaty, but none of these signatories have yet ratified it. As soon as ACTA is ratified by any six countries, the coalition will come into force.."