Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand discussion

[strypes <strypey AT riseup.net>]

Kia ora koutou

Just been alerted to a disturbing new anti-freedom trade agreement,
through the ALCP. Have you heard of the 'Anti-Counterfeiting Trade
Agreement'? It's a multilateral trade agreement initiated by the US,
outside of existing structures like the WTO, and New Zealand is intended
to be a signatory. Apparently there was a period of public consultation
on it, but somehow it got under our radar.

That may be because of the euphemistic 'anti-counterfeiting' wording in
the title, which makes it sound like it's about stopping currency
forgery, rather than increasing surveillance and control over people's
movements and communications. The ACTA basically proposes to increase
border control and enforcement, especially emphasizing control over free
exchange of information over the net, to protect corporate 'IP' from
unapproved sharing which they demonize with the euphemism "piracy".

Here's the official announcement from the US gov:
http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2007/October/Ambassador_Schwab_Announces_US_Will_Seek_New_Trade_Agreement_to_Fight_Fakes.html

Here's some concerning info from the Electronic Frontiers Foundation:
http://www.eff.org/action/sunlight-acta

My analysis is that this is the beating stick to go with the carrot of
the WTO's TRIPs agreement:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agreement_on_Trade-Related_Aspects_of_Intellectual_Property_Rights

The US entertainment giants are annoyed they can't close down things
like the Pirate Bay because of the trifling technicality that are
outside of US legal jurisdiction. They are frustrated by their failure
to have their proxies in the US government drive through the necessary
tools to get around that, through the WTO and WIPO (World Intellectual
Property Organization). These organizations have been opened up to
troublesome input from citizens groups, NGOs and activist networks, who
have been more concerned with the use of "intellectual property"  to
privatize indigenous knowledge, and the use of patents on life to
effectively blackmail food growers and healers into using corporate
products. Here's some criticisms of TRIPs put out in 2001 by a coalition
of NGOs
http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/joint5.htm

Not sure what we can do about the ACTA at this stage, but certainly
getting some public awareness, making it an election issue, and finding
out all we can about the contents of the agreement would be good places
to start.

Ma te wā
Strypey

-- 
“To use proprietary software is to invite the developer to put his boot
on your neck. It’s power that nobody should have.”
- Richard Stallman
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy

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