Lobbyist hoping for leak from ACTA meeting in Mexico
Nations negotiating the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) met in Mexico yesterday to discuss the treaty's next move.
Nations negotiating the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) met in Mexico yesterday to discuss the treaty’s 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’s existing laws.
Tech Liberty spokesman Thomas Beagle said he hoped there “would be some leaks” 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.
“ACTA 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’re signing onto.
“Thirty lobbyists have seen the document [in draft stage] in the US. But they had to sign non-disclosure agreements. If there aren’t any leeks out of Mexico, we’re going to have no idea what’s happening,” Mr 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.
Kelly Gregor
Wed, 11 Jul 2018
Wed, 11 Jul 2018
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Lobbyist hoping for leak from ACTA meeting in Mexico
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