[A2k] The National Business Review: Lobbyist hoping for leak from ACTA meeting in Mexico

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/lobbyist-hoping-leak-acta-meeting-mexico-11758=
2

The National Business Review

Lobbyist hoping for leak from ACTA meeting in Mexico
Kelly Gregor | Wednesday January 27 2010 - 07:57am

Nations negotiating the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) met
in Mexico yesterday to discuss the treaty=92s next move but due to
intense security around the meeting, details on the agenda are not
known.

ACTA has raised much controversy around the world for the secret
manner in which the treaty is being discussed. It has been called anti-
democratic by lobbyists in New Zealand who are concerned about the
content of the treaty and how it will be implemented if it is contrary
to New Zealand=92s existing laws.

Tech Liberty spokesman Thomas Beagle said he hoped there =93would be
some leaks=94 from the meeting in Mexico, so that the wider online
community in New Zealand would have an idea of which direction the
treaty is going in.

=93ACTA needs to be more transparent. No one is quite sure who is
holding this back, perhaps the US, but it needs to be open so we know
what we=92re signing onto.

=93Thirty lobbyists have seen the document [in draft stage] in the US.
But they had to sign non-disclosure agreements. If there aren=92t any
leeks out of Mexico, we=92re going to have no idea what=92s happening,=94 M=
r
Beagle said.

Some information has already been leaked,. It discusses forcing
internet service providers (ISPs) into providing information about
suspected or alleged copyright infringers without a warrant. This
means if a person is alleged of downloading illegal content, that
breaches the copyright of the treaty that person's information will
automatically became public.

Mr Beagle said Tech Liberty was not only campaigning for civil
liberties online but also for a democratic process that allowed for
proper consultation from the community.

Once ACTA is finalised it will be a trade agreement on intellectual
property rights. The aim is to protect copyright and prevent the
counterfeiting of goods and works. The nations in negotiation are
Australia, Canada, the EU, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, South
Korea, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and the US.

The next meeting will be held in New Zealand in April.


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Thiru Balasubramaniam
Geneva Representative
Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)
thiru@keionline.org


Tel: +41 22 791 6727
Mobile: +41 76 508 0997