[@OKFNau] FYI: CLD: TPP Provisions Threaten Internet Freedom

Mon Dec 9 09:53:46 UTC 2013

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From: mkaranicolas at gmail.com <mkaranicolas at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Dec 9, 2013 at 8:15 PM

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*6 December 2013: For Immediate Release*

*TPP Provisions Threaten Internet Freedom*

The *Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement* (TPP) has been
a magnet for controversy since its inception, largely due to the excessive
secrecy in which it is being negotiated and rumours that its intellectual
property provisions would threaten Internet freedom. Today, the Centre for
Law and Democracy has released an Analysis which confirms that these fears
are well founded and highlights the many proposals in the draft treaty
which would harm freedom of expression online. The Analysis is based on a
draft version of part of the TPP released by Wikileaks, said to be current
as of the conclusion of the August round of talks.

“*Given the controversial nature of many provisions in the draft TPP, there
is a clear need for far greater transparency and consultation in the
negotiations,”* said Toby Mendel, Executive Director of CLD. *“People
deserve to know if their elected officials are pushing to implement plans
that are harmful to the Internet and freedom of expression.”*

The more serious problems in the leaked draft include the following:

   - Australia, Brunei, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and the United
   States want to force third party intermediaries to put in place highly
   problematical anti-piracy measures, including schemes to terminate access
   to users found to be infringing copyright, or risk liability for acts
   undertaken by their users.
   - Australia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore and the United States are
   supporting measures which, under the guise of protecting digital locks,
   will broadly criminalise even legitimate circumvention tools.
   - Australia, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Singapore and the United States want
   to extend already excessive copyright terms for an additional twenty to
   fifty years.

Negotiating States aim to finalise the treaty at the next round of
negotiations in Singapore, which start on 7 December. CLD calls on those
States to open up the process to the public, to be forthright with their
citizens about their negotiating positions and to ensure that the final
text respects the right to freedom of expression.

The Analysis is available at:
http://www.law-democracy.org/live/tpp-provisions-threaten-internet-freedom/.

*For further information, please contact: *

Michael Karanicolas

Legal Officer

Centre for Law and Democracy

Email: michael at law-democracy.org

Tel: +1 902 448-5290

www.law-democracy.org

@law_democracy
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