Why Is ACTA Being Negotiated In Secret?
from the and-why-isn't-the-press-asking-about-it? dept
We've already talked about the ACTA treaty, which is being used by the entertainment industry to basically do an endrun around the legislation process for intellectual property, and getting all its wishes encoded into an international treaty, so it can start running around claiming that every country absolutely needs to change its IP laws to "live up to" international treaties. William Patry has been asking why the mainstream press isn't covering this, and it's an excellent question.His latest post on the topic covers the fact that the entire process is happening in secret behind closed doors and the folks negotiating the treaty seem to think this is fine:
"A spokesperson of the European Commission confirmed that consultation with different stakeholders had been on the agenda and would happen over the coming month at the domestic level. Draft text proposals still have not been published, the source said. Several parties contacted pointed to confidentiality agreed on by the negotiating partners."Patry translates that paragraph accurately as really saying:
"Countries also discussed whether they should actually talk to those who would be affected by the agreement, and agreed that sometime they will, but everything we have done is super-secret because we agreed it would be super-secret."So why aren't stakeholders invited into the process? Why is the whole thing being negotiated in secret, using notes in discussion with entertainment industry lobbyists but no consumer groups or other business groups who aren't necessarily supporters of more restrictive copyright regimes? And why isn't the press asking these questions?
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: acta, copyright, secrecy, sunlight, trade agreements
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
The press?
They're not exactly the first ones I'd to look to for unravelling the legal mess that's left behind when copyright starts creaking at the seams and the public sees that release from their rusted bonds into liberty is within reach.
The public aren't 'stakeholders' - they're the ones that are bound to the stake that everyone else is holding.
Sorry folk, but you're on your own.
The press look out for themselves.
The government look out for their corporate sponsors.
The media corporations look out for control over communications channels, the raw material they pump along them, and the advertisers that harvest the crop from the opiated masses.
Who else is there?
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
it ain't gonna happen.........
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
maybe we can find out
We'll see if anything comes out, although I'm rather skeptical.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Because it's the only way it'll get enacted.
"And why isn't the press asking these questions?"
Because the mainstream press is either owned by large content companies or have a very strong bias in favor of protecting content.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Who needs the press?
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Funny how technology, medical, and other areas of human development move forward - and how 'political science' moves backwards - it's more medieval everyday.
"And why isn't the press asking these questions?"
Because the mainstream press is either owned by large content companies or have a very strong bias in favor of protecting content
Yes and because the same people running the entertainment industry, are the same ones running the press, as they are yet still the same ones running the governments.
Too much 'power' concentrated on too few people/families now.
Just an example of the above - politics moving backwards.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Who needs the press?
Unfortunately, the majority of the rest of the world are sheep who do blindly listen to the 'Press'. Sorry. :(
(On a side note, I just read the word 'Press' enough times for it to lose all meaning. Man that's a weird word. No, I am *not* high.)
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
The Press
Think about the people who read the press for their primary window to the world... people who like their "information" processed, sanitized, editorialized, and served up to them without any active mental or physical process being taken on their own behalf.
The press probably (and rightly?) feel that the reading masses have been sufficiently lobotomized by now to not wish to be upset by controversial issues and stories with words longer than five letters.
Thank goodness for well informed and conscientious public servants looking after our best interests.... ummm, no? well thank goodness at least for excellent government run school systems that teach critical thinking in our youth... ok, uhhh, scratch that? darn it, help me out here... ok, the world is going to Hades in a hand basket but at least it will be college football season, soon! All hope is not lost.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
They're doing it again.
From Bruce Lehman's wikipedia page:
Currently, he is President and CEO of the International Intellectual Property Institute (IIPI), a lobbying organization based in Washington, D.C., and is President of the U.S. Committee for the WIPO.
He represents us at the U.N. for goodness sakes!
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
ACTA
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
WTO and the smell of BS
So they reverted to the tried and true method of "what they don't know won't hurt them".
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
IP Treaty and corporate control
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Add Your Comment
Add A Reply