[LINK] secret IP talks

[Kim Holburn]

http://www.p2pnet.net/story/30664

> ACTA in Korea: ’secret talks on transparency’
> The current round of ACTA negotiations wrap up later today in Seoul,  
> Korea.  Having spent the first day focused on the now-leaked  
> Internet provisions and the second day on the leaked criminal  
> provisions, negotiators will spend this morning discussing whether  
> they should make the draft treaty public.
>
> Many countries continue to face pressure on the transparency issue,  
> with KEI posting a public letter to U.S. President Barack Obama this  
> week on the issue. Past indications are that there is a split – some  
> countries favour making the draft available immediately, while  
> others prefer ongoing secrecy until the treaty is completed.   
> Compromise positions apparently include allowing individual  
> countries to make available text for which they are responsible.
>
> At this stage, even ACTA supporters should be supportive of greater  
> transparency.
>
> First, everything seems to leak anyways, so the substance of the  
> treaty is already broadly known.  Of course, there are specifics  
> that have been shielded from public view, but there is enough out  
> there to have generated an enormous backlash.
>
> Second, ACTA is quickly becoming so broadly discredited that it will  
> be nearly impossible to garner public support for the treaty. “The  
> secret copyright treaty” is hardly a selling feature for a treaty  
> that may be dead-on-arrival in the minds of citizens around the world.
>
> Third, it is time for countries to make transparency a condition of  
> participation.
>
> I have my doubts about the treaty as a whole — the recent Internet  
> leaks should make it a non-starter from a Canadian perspective — but  
> even if the substance is put to the side, governments should not be  
> supporting secretive copyright talks.
>
> The talks will end at 12:30 (Seoul time) with the release of a joint  
> statement describing who participated along with a generic statement  
> indicating discussions focused on Internet enforcement, criminal  
> provisions, and transparency matters.
>
> It will conclude by indicating that the next round will be hosted by  
> Mexico (most likely) in early 2010.
>
> But on a day devoted to secret talks on transparency, governments  
> should drop the diplomatic language and be prepared to open up or  
> get out.
>


On 2009/Nov/06, at 8:41 AM, Jan Whitaker wrote:

> Oz Pirate Party slams 'secret' IP talks
>
> By <mailto:edit at zdnet.com.au>Suzanne Tindal, ZDNet.com.au
> November 05, 2009
> URL:
> <http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Oz-Pirate-Party-slams-secret-IP-talks-/0,130061791,339299373,00.htm 
> >http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Oz-Pirate-Party-slams-secret-IP-talks-/0,130061791,339299373,00.htm
>
>
> The newly formed Australian Pirate Party came out swinging yesterday
> with a release criticising the international discussions currently
> being held in Korea to cement an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
>
> David Crafti
> (Credit: Pirate Party)
>
> These discussions had their roots back in 2006 when the US and Japan
> floated the idea of a new treaty to help build joint intellectual
> property rules to fight counterfeiting and piracy. June 2008 saw
> Australia included along with other countries.
>
> The most recent round of discussions started this week in Seoul and
> was set to deal with "enforcement in the digital environment".
> Reports based on leaked information say that the discussions are
> focusing on issues such as making safe harbour for internet service
> providers contingent on deterring users storing and transmitting
> content that infringes intellectual property. Deterrents could take
> the form of terminating subscribers based on a three-strikes scheme.
>
> The discussions have until now, apart from leaks, remained secret,
> with the Australian government giving as a reason that it is
> "accepted practice during trade negotiations among sovereign states
> to not share negotiation texts with the public at large, particularly
> at earlier stages of the negotiation", while the US government quotes
> national security. Parties who saw documents were reportedly required
> to sign non-disclosure agreements.
>
> The Australian Pirate Party, formed
> <http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/Pirate-Party-storms-Australia-/0,130061733,339298794,00.htm 
> >last
> September to champion copyright, free speech and privacy issues,
> decried the discussions and their secrecy. "It is an alarming
> development, we need people to speak up and make it known to the
> Australian government that this is atrocious. Secret negotiations,
> with no transparent public consultation for a treaty that threatens
> to further compromise our civil liberties and expand the already
> damaging and draconian copyright monopoly is unacceptable." David
> Crafti, Pirate Party Australia president, said in a statement.
>
> The secrecy and the treaty, which would be used to give a monopoly to
> an innovator and not to foster innovation were tyrannical, he said.
>
> Another Pirate Party spokesperson, Rodney Serkowski, said that the
> talks were being conducted in complete disregard for civil liberties.
> "Any move to disconnect any person from the internet because they are
> partaking in cultural exchange by sharing privately and
> non-commercially is offensive. We completely reject any plan to make
> carriage service providers de facto copyright cops. ISPs should be
> given no right or responsibility to snoop through private
> communication. We wouldn't tolerate it with Australia Post, so we
> shouldn't tolerate it with our internet connections," he said.
>
>
>
> Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
> jwhit at janwhitaker.com
> blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
> business: http://www.janwhitaker.com
>
> Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or
> sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
> ~Madeline L'Engle, writer
>
> _ __________________ _
>
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-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
Ph: +39 06 855 4294  M: +39 3494957443
mailto:kim at holburn.net  aim://kimholburn
skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request