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William Patry: An ACTA Call to Arms: No More Secret Govt.

By Robin Gross

Last week I posted about the proposed Ant-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). The issue is getting coverage in the blogosphere, but none in the mainstream press at least in the U.S., which is regrettable, since the issues raised are of great public interest. Since my last blog, I have received information from Geneva and national capitals that requires updating the blog, and a call to arms to stop this monster dead in its tracks, to just say no to secret government. It will take a determined, global effort to do so. ACTA is the most extreme example yet of the devastating effect of making intellectual property a trade issue. GATT/TRIPS is the most visible example, but it is far from being the only one. A larger point about TRIPS, regardless of the specific provisions contained within it, is that it demonstrates the power shift away from those who traditionally made copyright policy and to those who make trade policy. In the United States, that is the United States Trade Representative, who reports to the President. The attitude of USTR toward copyright is a blinkered, one-sided view that copyright is good and therefore as much of it as possible is even better....

Full post as published by IP Justice on June 03, 2008 (boomark / email).