- Dec 1, 2011
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Today, 13 November 2013, WikiLeaks released the secret negotiated draft text for the entire TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Intellectual Property Rights Chapter. The TPP is the largest-ever economic treaty, encompassing nations representing more than 40 per cent of the world’s GDP. The WikiLeaks release of the text comes ahead of the decisive TPP Chief Negotiators summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 19-24 November 2013. The chapter published by WikiLeaks is perhaps the most controversial chapter of the TPP due to its wide-ranging effects on medicines, publishers, internet services, civil liberties and biological patents. Significantly, the released text includes the negotiation positions and disagreements between all 12 prospective member states.
Cliffnotes:
- The USA, UK, Australia, and a number of Asian countries (12 Nations total) have been secretly drafting a legislative proposal that would change international laws regarding patents, copyrights, trademarks, industrial design, AND [COLOR=#red]law enforcement.[/COLOR]
- The "Enforcement" section of this draft would pretty much trample over individual rights, civil liberties, internet privacy, and essentially destroy all creative commons licensing (creative, intellectual, biological, and environmental.) It allows for the use of "Secret evidence," and is essentially SOPA and ACTA combined.
- China AND Russia have both been purposefully kept out of the loop, and have not had any input on this proposal.
- The Obama Administration is getting ready to fast track this WITHOUT ANY DISCUSSION/AMENDMENTS, and Obama has already said he intends on signing it.
- Lobbyists (Chevron, Halliburton, Monsanto and Walmart) have just as much access to this bill as many US Congress members, if not more.
Full Press Release (and the leaked draft) here: https://wikileaks.org/tpp/pressrelease.html
George Orwell was right.
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