Tag: tpp
New NAFTA agreement’s copyright rules will cost Canadians millions
This is a terrible deal for Canadians. These draconian copyright provisions must be rejected.
I was worried. Now, I’m filled with gratitude.
Your support fuels our work and the people who are behind it. Thank you so much!
Over 55,000 voices are on their way to Minister Freeland’s office
This week we delivered over 55,000 signatures calling for the protection of our digital rights in the new NAFTA to Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland — and you bet it’s going to make an impact.
Your voices helped shape the new TPP
Yesterday Canada joined 10 other countries in reaching a deal on a reworked version of the TPP, suspending some Intellectual Property and ISDS (Investor State Dispute Settlement) provisions that would have had detrimental impacts on the open Internet. The work doesn't end here, but this win for the Internet community would have not been possible if it wasn't for you — so thank you for speaking out!
Our TPP ads are up right outside Prime Minister Trudeau’s office!
OpenMedia community: your message against the TPP is right outside of Parliament for Trudeau to see and this would have not been possible without you — THANK YOU!
Copyright in the new TPP: A milestone or a PR move?
The Canadian government pushed for significant improvements to the Intellectual Property chapter in the new TPP, but it's still too early to throw confetti, here's why:
Washington Principles on Copyright Balance in Trade Agreements: OpenMedia joins over 80 global experts and advocates to advance fair copyright in trade
OpenMedia is proud to be a signatory to the Washington Principles on Copyright Balance in Trade Agreements, a joint statement by dozens of international and regional copyright experts, academics, lawyers, and advocates in copyright, trade, and digital policy.
Canada agrees to modified version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership without the U.S.
The government’s decision demonstrates a blatant disregard for the voices of Canadians, coming only days after the national consultation on TPP closed.
Canada slows down TPP 11, but a deal remains possible
Government’s decision demonstrates citizens’ pressure is working and that they are willing to re-evaluate before moving forward with the new deal
How Can NAFTA Get It Right on Copyright? We Went to Washington D.C. to Find Out
OpenMedia's external legal counsel Cynthia Khoo reports back from collaborating with copyright experts and allies in Washington, D.C., to help craft user-centric copyright principles for an updated NAFTA.
Over 11,000 Canadians have spoken: NO to pursuing TPP negotiations
Once again, Canadians have come together in the thousands to send a clear message to the federal government: The TPP is a bad deal for our country, regardless of U.S. involvement. Thanks for speaking out!
TPP: Enough is enough
Canadians told the government loud and clear: The TPP is a bad deal for Canadians over the past five years. Yet here we are again, with the government pursuing negotiations with 11 of the original signatories without the U.S.
Taking Your Voices on NAFTA to Ottawa
OpenMedia's external legal counsel Cynthia Khoo reports back from meeting with Tracey Ramsey, NDP Critic for International Trade and Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on International Trade
Civil society urges trade decision-makers to consider the impacts of NAFTA on digital rights
Organizations from Mexico, Canada and the United States highlight the need for increased transparency and urge the exclusion of intellectual property provisions
NAFTA: Our Digital Rights are not for sale (or trade)
OpenMedia’s official submission to the NAFTA consultation puts the digital rights concerns of Canadians front and centre
The TPP is trying to make a sneaky comeback – so let’s send it back to its grave
Corporate greed has insatiable thirst and so, lobbyists are gathering in Toronto to try and resurrect the infamous TPP. But we are not going to let that happen, so here’s the plan.
Back from the grave — Secret TPP talks to resume in Toronto
As Toronto hosts two days of high-level TPP talks in an undisclosed location, civil society groups warn that TPP cannot be the basis for Canada’s future trade relationships
NAFTA: Not looking good
Already it looks like the powerful corporate interests behind the TPP are seeking to use upcoming NAFTA negotiations to push their toxic digital agenda
How Canadians can ensure we never repeat the mistakes of the TPP
Writing for Common Ground magazine and Rabble.ca, our own Meghan Sali argues that our Let’s Talk TPP Citizens’ Report shows that Canadians cannot support trade deals made in secret.
It’s here! Our TPP Citizens’ Report explores how we can rebuild public trust in trade processes
Our Let’s Talk TPP Citizens’ Report is finally here! Check out the full report and use our tool to send it to your MP.
A sneak peek into the TPP Citizens’ Report: how we can rebuild public trust in trade processes
The public has lost confidence in trade processes that put the interests of corporate lobbyists before people. But there’s a way back from the brink.
As the U.S. formally pulls out of the TPP, we’re calling on the Canadian government to reject the deal and learn a lesson
It's official, U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to formally withdraw the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and we are calling on the Canadian government to learn from this lesson to include citizens in the process of future trade deals.
Top 10 ways you helped save the Internet in 2016
As we face the challenges of 2017, let’s all be inspired by these amazing examples of how you helped save the Internet last year.
Trudeau: send a message to Canadians and ditch the TPP
The TPP is on its last legs – but why not finish it off? Trudeau should take a stand and reject the TPP.
All Out Against the TPP: Vancouver Edition
The TPP in its original form may be dead, but some of its poisonous components remain – and big media lobbyists will continue to push for them. Join us for a mobilization against secret and undemocratic agreements!
Hold onto your hats Canada, it’s going to be a wild week ahead!
We have a busy and exciting week ahead on all of our pillars and we want to make sure our community members are the first to know what’s cooking.
Our last chance to knock down the TPP is here, let’s seize it!
The clock is ticking as the government’s public consultations on the TPP close on October 31st, so it’s never been more important that all Canadians stand together to knock down the worst trade deal in history.
We came, we rocked and we sent the message louder than ever: NO TPP, thanks!
Didn’t make it to our Rock Against the TPP events in Toronto recently? No need for fear of missing out, here’s a recap and the best pics from the night.
Report on TPP’s economic cost ignores potential damage to innovation and our digital economy
Basing an overall decision on TPP on such a flawed and limited assessment would be “like buying a used car sight unseen.”
Is the TPP falling apart? Let’s take a look at where the 12 nations are at
As the TPP grows weaker in the U.S. major uncertainty revolves around its successful ratification. But it is it too early to throw confetti? Let’s take a look at where the twelve signatories stand in the game.
We just won big, but the TPP fight is far from over
After months of being on the fence, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi came out against the TPP thanks to thousands of people like you! But this fight ain't over yet!
Our TPP Jumbotron
As the TPP consultations make their way through the country, your OpenMedia team continues to work tirelessly to amplify your voices. Thanks to all of you who chipped in and made our second Jumbotron in Toronto possible!
Your TPP JumboTruck is live in Toronto!
You donated to make it happen! We’re beaming your comments and videos outside Canadian Trade Minister Freeland’s TPP Town Hall.
As Parliament’s TPP roadshow hits Central Canada, citizens continue to push for more openness and transparency
TPP consultations are making their way through the country, but in response to the limited public participation seen on the first few, the Parliament’s trade committee will now include one hour for public comment in each meeting. Find out where and how you can participate.
We made it happen: Your voices on a Jumbotron outside the TPP hearings
We crowdsourced your concerns about the TPP and displayed them on a Jumbotron TV screen outside the TPP hearings in Vancouver today. Check out these awesome pics!
Your TPP message on a giant screen
We've booked a giant Jumbotron to beam your messages directly to decision-makers, and we’ll park it outside the first major TPP consultation. Send us your ideas!
The real poison pill in the TPP
There are multiple reasons why Canadians should be concerned with the TPP. But what is the real poison pill?
WATCH HERE: Making Sense of the TPP, with Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz
Do you want to make sense of the Trans-Pacific Partnership? Watch this live stream with experts on the topic, including Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz.
Secretive trade negotiations leave important voices on the sidelines
We've joined a large international coalition calling for trade agreement reform to protect our digital rights
Recapping the Trouble with the TPP: Pt 2
Part two of our summary on Michael Geist's "the trouble with the TPP" series exposes more threats to our digital future in Canada. Find out more about how this agreement will be felt here at home.
Michael Geist discusess TPP implications on Canadian intellectual property
What are the implications of the TPP on Canadian intellectual property? Professor Michael Geist has some answers and emphasizes the need for a consultation.
The TPP was just signed. Here’s our plan to fight back.
The final battle against the TPP begins. This is how you can help us stop it.
Michael Geist takes on “The Trouble with the TPP”
Over the past few weeks Michael Geist has released a series of blogs detailing the definitive case against the TPP. Here are the top highlights. What do you think?
Jumping the shark: Canada to sign the TPP without public consultation?
Canada’s Trade Minister has finally confirmed that Canada will sign the TPP. But there is still hope, and here’s our Meghan Sali to explain why.
Who benefits from the TPP? We’re still not sure. An evening with Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Minister of International Trade
I attended a panel discussion on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with Canada’s International Trade Minister, Chrystia Freeland, in the hope of finding some answers to the big question: who benefits from the TPP?
Truth Out: What’s Going On With the TPP?
TPP Update: After years of secret negotiations, we’ve just learned U.S. Trans-Pacific Partnership officials have decided to appoint a “Chief Transparency Officer.” So who did they pick? One of their own lawyers, Tim Reif. Not exactly encouraging. TPP provisions will grievously hurt the Internet and our right to free expression! We need to speak out at StopTheSecrecy.net/Canada
Article by Maira Sutton (EFF) for Truth Out
Globe and Mail: Final push for Pacific Rim pact set for end of September
The TPP deal is closer than we might think!
Are your candidates for or against it? Check here and tell them to oppose this bad deal: OurDigitalFuture.ca/candidate
Article by Steven Chase for The Globe and Mail
An effort to land a massive Pacific Rim free trade agreement within weeks is under way, raising the prospect the wide-ranging Trans-Pacific Partnership could dominate the final stretch of the Canadian election campaign.
EFF: Nothing Is Agreed Yet—We Can Still Stop The TPP’s Copyright Trap
Despite all the talks, the TPP negotiations remain tentative until each country signs off on the final agreement.The battle's not over yet, let's keep speaking up against this Internet-censoring deal! Add your voice at StoptheSecrecy.net
Article by Jeremy Malcolm for EFF
EFF: TPP’s Copyright Term Extension Isn’t Made for Artists—It’s Made By and For Big Content Companies
The TPP will transform Canada's intellectual property rules into an alarmingly large barrier to free speech and free expression. Speak out now at StoptheSecrecy.net
Article by Maira Sutton for EFF
The following comment was written by Canadian filmmaker, Andrew Hunter, sent to party leaders asking them to come out against the 20-year copyright term extension in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and stand for fair and balanced innovation policy. He emailed this comment as part of EFF's TPP's Copyright Trap campaign.
CBC: Leaked Trans-Pacific Partnership draft would force Canada to rework copyright, critics say
If Canada adopts the TPP, it will criminalize your Internet use and force your Internet provider and search engines to censor online content, things the government had consistently rejected throughout the copyright reform process. Speak out now at StoptheSecrecy.net
Article by Zack Dubinsky for CBC
Motherboard: Canada changed its election rules so it can negotiate the TPP
ICYMI: The Harper government changed the election rules so it can continue negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Where do you stand? Speak out now at StoptheSecrecy.net/Canada
Article by Jordan Pearson for Motherboard
Tyee: TPP Leaks Reveal Blows to Creative Freedom: Filmmaker
TPP will hurt our creative fredom in ways you can't image. Here's a filmmaker's acount of what it would mean for artists and creators around the globe. Let's stop this censoring deal at StoptheSecrecy.net
Article by Brett Gaylor for the Tyee
Most people's experience with copyright begins and ends with the FBI warnings that play before movies on a DVD.
Geist: Canadian Government Amends “Caretaker Rules” To Give Itself Power to Continue Negotiating TPP
The next few weeks could play a determining role in the fate of the TPP. And Canada is changing longstanding rules regarding making major decisions during elections that tie the hands of future governments and give the government power to continue negotiating the TPP. Speak out now at StoptheSecrecy.net
Article by Michael Geist
This past weekend was a busy one politically as Canada was launched into a lengthy election campaign just as countries negotiating the latest round of Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations in Hawaii failed to conclude a deal. With reports that there may be a follow-up ministerial meeting within weeks, Canadian officials have been quick to claim that the election campaign will not interfere with the TPP trade talks.
Globe and Mail: Tories hope TPP deal is signed before election campaign kickoff
Amidst the final stages of the TPP talks in Hawaii, the government is hoping to reach an agreement before the election campaign kickoff expected to start on Sunday. It's never been more important to send a message to the trade ministers and tell them to say NO to TPP. Send your message now at StoptheSecrecy.net
Article by the Canadian Press for the Globe and Mail
Motherboard: New leak confirms the secretive TPP is a horrorshow
No Big Industry interests were harmed in the making of this agreement. Speak out now at StoptheSecrecy.net
Article by Jordan Pearson for Motherboard
At a luxury hotel in Maui, representatives from the 12 countries participating in the highly controversial and secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal are negotiatingbehind closed doors. Thanks to a secret letter from a 2013 meeting, released today by WikiLeaks, we now have a clearer idea of what they’re discussing.
CBC: Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks peak as Canada eyes election timing
Harper might want to stretch the TPP bargaining to minimize electoral risks. But in the middle of an election, the timing is not really up to Canada. Speak out now at StoptheSecrecy.net
Article by Janyce McGregor for CBC
Pity Ed Fast's campaign manager in Abbotsford, B.C.
CBC: ‘Shrewd’ Canada playing long game as TPP trade talks begin in Maui
Aloha! Welcome to the weekend, where things get real for TPP negotiations in Hawaii.
Speak out now at StoptheSecrecy.net
Article by Janyce McGregor for CBC News
As Canada's lead negotiator Kirsten Hillman and the rest of her Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiating team sit down with their counterparts in Maui, Hawaii this weekend, they may sense pounding from more than just the nearby surf.
Tyee: TPP Deal Puts BC’s Privacy Laws in the Crosshairs
The TPP would render B.C. privacy laws useless. Speak out now to repeal this secretive, Internet-censoring deal at StoptheSecrecy.net
Article by Scott Sinclair for The Tyee
British Columbia's privacy laws are in the crosshairs of the nearly completed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. If you're wondering what the heck data privacy protections have to do with trade, you're not alone. Public awareness of the far-reaching, 12-country negotiation is scant, with polls showing three-quarters of Canadians have never even heard of the TPP.
Geist: The real deal about the TPP’s implications for the rights of Canadians
The TPP threatens Canada's privacy, copyright and patent laws. Speak out now at StoptheSecrecy.net
Article by Michael Geist for the Toronto Star
The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), a proposed trade agreement that encompasses nearly 40 per cent of world GDP, heads to Hawaii later this month for ministerial-level negotiations.
IBTimes: The TPP will leave us unprotected
The TPP gives industry lobbyists the power to sue our government in secret form tribunals over any law or regulation they claim affects their future profits. Speak out now at http://StoptheSecrecy.net
Article by David Sirota for the International Business Times
CBC: Canadians still don’t know what the Trans-Pacific Partnership is
Despite the secrecy, we know that The TPP would criminalize your online activity, invade your privacy, and cost you money. Speak out now at StoptheSecrecy.net
Article by The Canadian Press for the CBC
It's the biggest free trade deal Canadians never heard of.
National Observer: Why is the TPP bad for Canada?
No Big Industry interests were harmed in the making of this agreement.
Article by Stuart Trew & Scott Sinclair by the National Observer
As the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations slouch toward an agreement, supporters have cranked the volume on their praise for what is sometimes called the “NAFTA of the Pacific.” Critics, of which there are a growing number, prefer “NAFTA on steroids” – a sign the 12-country pact can only lead to more of the same deregulation, offshoring and rising inequality that are the legacy of 20 years of North American free trade.
Geist: Canadians, beware of the TPP
The TPP would criminalize your online activity, invade your privacy, and cost you money. Speak out now at Stopthesecrecy.net
Article by Michael Geist
Canada’s business community has mobilized in recent weeks to call on the government to adopt a more aggressive, engaged approach with respect to the biggest trade negotiations on the planet – the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement. The TPP involves 12 countries including the United States, Australia, Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand, Vietnam, Brunei, Japan, Peru, and Chile.
What is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)?
Canadians across the country have been reading a new acronym in the news lately, and it has many wondering–what exactly is the TPP?
Well, the TPP, or the Trans-Pacific Partnership, is a massive, international trade agreement being negotiated between Canada and 11 other nations, entirely behind closed doors. If signed, the TPP would be the largest agreement ever of its kind, and would cover 40% of global trade.
Huffington Post: Did you know Canada is the most sued nation under free trade agreements?
Now Canada wants to sign on to another massive, secretive agreement that will exploit our 'partners' and establish unaccountable supra-national tribunals to further erode democratic decision-making at the national level.
Article by Sunny Freeman for the Huffington Post
Canada is the most-sued country under the North American Free Trade Agreement and a majority of the disputes involve investors challenging the country’s environmental laws, according to a new study.
BREAKING: Fast Track and the TPP knocked off course by U.S. Senate vote
BREAKING: Obama’s own Senators have just put the brakes on Fast Track and the TPP, potentially putting the brakes on the process for the foreseeable future.
Slated for debate in the Senate this afternoon, President Obama’s Trade Promotion Authority Bill, better known as ‘Fast Track Legislation,’ was shut down before it even reached the floor, effectively derailing the plan to pass the Bill as soon as possible and demonstrate momentum to the 11 other countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
From Antarctica to Vietnam, global Internet users are creating a vision for our digital future
Our small team at OpenMedia would like to take a moment to thank you - all of you - who have used the Internet to help create a roadmap forward for a fair digital future.
It was in October 2013 that we asked our community - Internet users who are invested in driving the Internet, creating and sharing online, and collaborating without borders - to help shape our collective digital future.
Our call was in response to continued backdoor negotiations of a massive agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which will threaten our ability to innovate online, create excessive copyright terms, and criminalize your online activity.
Australians to Canadians: Beware TPP economic fallout
Over 125,000 people - including tens of thousands of Canadians - have now spoken out about the damaging Internet censorship proposals in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). We know from leaked drafts all about how the TPP would make your Internet more expensive, censored, and policed.
Now, our friends in Australia are sounding the alarm about how the TPP could wreak havoc on Canada’s economy. Australians know well the economic damage that unbalanced and extreme Internet censorship rules can cause. Australia was forced to adopt extreme copyright rules as part of the Australia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) - rules which caused over $80 million dollars worth of damage to the Australian economy.
The Internet Insider | Say No To Internet Censorship
Hello!
Listen up, world leaders! The citizens of the Internet have a few demands. We want to put an end to threats to Internet freedom. Head over to OpenMedia.org/Censorship to send a clear message to world leaders that we will not stand for the closed, censored and policed Internet outlined in the TPP.
For the Internet,
- The OpenMedia.ca Team
What I told those behind the biggest threat to Internet freedom: The Trans-Pacific Partnership
Thanks to all of you who have joined us at OpenMedia in our campaigns, last Friday I had the opportunity to address some of the lead bureaucrats and lobbyists behind the threat to Internet freedom that is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). My goal was to bring the voices of Internet users to their attention and to demonstrate that citizens are watching en masse.
I told these TPP decision-makers that citizens are not going to let them make our Internet more expensive, restricted, and surveilled just to protect Big Media’s outdated business model. I even went so far as to pass around an iPad that displayed a stream of your comments. I made sure it was clear: if lobbyists and bureaucrats are going to try to make new rules for the Internet behind closed doors, we’ll push back and bring open citizen participation to them.
I’ll have a more detailed report-back shortly, but for now I’ve posted the script and slides of my presentation below. I hope you like it.
Huffington Post: Is Canada about to sell out on copyright law?
The latest round of talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership may have concluded, but the controversy continues on the effects the TPP may have on Canadians' Internet use.
When we presented your comments and messages from OpenTheTPP.net directly to TPP lobbyists last week, Canada's chief negotiator refused to comment on whether the TPP would overwrite current copyright laws.
The silence and secrecy surrounding this devastating trade agreement needs to end. Join us in speaking out at StopTheTrap.net and stay tuned for a full report-back of OpenMedia's presentation to TPP officials.
Article by Daniel Tencer for The Huffington Post
A prominent consumers’ advocate says he’s worried Canada will sell out its new copyright law in favour of tough new restrictions on consumers as part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
Steve Anderson, executive director of OpenMedia, says Canada’s chief negotiator at the TPP talks, Kirsten Hillman, would not answer a question on whether Canada would fight to maintain the copyright policies it put into effect earlier this year.
Guilty by accusation: Overzealous copyright lawyers target Canadians
The Internet is ablaze with fury at the news that a content company – Voltage Pictures – is requesting the private information of thousands of Canadian Internet users, who it claims violated its copyright. Crackdowns on alleged infringement are sweeping the nation, as ISPs are being pressured to give private companies the personal information of their accused customers.
This “guilty by accusation” approach to copyright enforcement is bad for free expression, and it adds new costs for Internet service providers, which will certainly be reflected on our monthly bills. Do you want to pay for a copyright witch hunt?
As the definition of infringement expands, and everyday uses of the Internet increasingly include sharing images, videos, and more, anyone could be considered a potential infringer. If you or someone using your Internet connection—even someone accessing your wireless connection without your knowledge—clicked on a link to something covered by copyright, should your information be passed along? What if the accusation is wrong?
Michael Geist: Secrecy the standard at Trans-Pacific Partnership talks
Another round of talks has concluded on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a secretive trade agreement that could criminalize everyday Internet use, confiscate online data and give more power to corporate lobbyists. With Canada having joined the TPP as a 'second-tier' status member, it's clear that our government has little to gain but Canadians have much to lose.
Join us in speaking out against the TPP's Internet trap at StopTheTrap.net. We're working hard to amplify Canadians' voices, but we need your help to continue. Please consider making a contribution to OpenMedia.ca at OpenMedia.ca/Allies and let's move forward together.
Article by Michael Geist
Despite growing opposition in Canada, Ottawa has begun formal participation in the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations, aimed at establishing one of the world’s most ambitious trade agreements.
As nearly a dozen countries — including the United States, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Mexico and Vietnam — gathered in New Zealand last week for the 14th round of talks, skeptics here have already expressed doubts about the benefits of the proposed deal.
Canada has free-trade agreements with the United States, Mexico, Chile and Peru, leaving just six countries — currently representing less than 1 per cent of Canadian exports — as the net gain.
NZ Herald: Copyright clampdown of the TPP
A secretive trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is again being negotiated this week in closed-door discussions – seeking to introduce invasive copyright legislation to everyday Internet use.
Let the lobbyists and bureaucrats behind the TPP know that citizens worldwide rightfully deserve a seat at the table. Learn more about what's hidden within the TPP and speak out at StopTheTrap.net.
Article by Geoff Cumming for The New Zealand Herald
If you think opponents of the Trans Pacific Partnership are typically anti-free trade/anti-globalisation conspiracy theorists, consider these unlikely bedfellows: librarians, software exporters, researchers, book lovers, fans of DVDs, media creatives and people who download music. The negotiations for a trade deal covering 11 Pacific nations have managed to unite these apparently unconnected sectors in alarm. Most likely, they include you and me - everything and everyone is connected in the digital age.
The United States' wish list for the agreement includes a tighter regulatory regime for intellectual property (chiefly copyright and patent laws), which interest groups say could tie them - and us - in a dense legal web, affecting everything from our use of the internet and access to music, books and films to the fast-growing software development sector.
Huffington Post: Canada creating secret ‘insider group’ of lobbyists through TPP
The government has mistakenly sent us at OpenMedia a non-disclosure agreement intended for lobbyists involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. This is confirmation that this secretive and extreme agreement is being put in place on behalf of bureaucrats, not citizens.
We're on the ground at the ongoing TPP negotiations, set to read out your comments to officials this Friday. Send in your messages at OpenTheTPP.net and help us speak out against the TPP's Internet trap.
Article by Daniel Tencer for The Huffington Post
The Harper government is creating a secret “consultation group,” likely comprised of lobbyists, who are getting inside information about Canada’s participation in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, observers allege.
Advocacy group OpenMedia has obtained a non-disclosure agreement (see below) it says the federal government mistakenly sent to it, asking the recipient to keep secret the information it receives about negotiations on the controversial economic and trade agreement.
“I think it confirms that lobbyists are being permitted to have access to information about the TPP that is otherwise kept secret from public interest groups and citizens in general,” OpenMedia executive director Steve Anderson told The Huffington Post Canada in an email.
Your Voice at the TPP Negotiations
The secretive and restrictive Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is nearing its 15th round of negotiations, which will be held from December 3-12 in Auckland, New Zealand. This will be the first round of negotiations that Canadian and Mexican representatives will be attending since they signed onto the negotiations in October.
The TPP could allow Big Media conglomerates to filter content, block websites, and fine consumers, and so far the negotiations have largely shut out citizen input. So in order to make sure your voices are heard, we launched a petition, and then a few months ago we developed a tool that would allow you to voice your opinions about this undemocratic attempt to restrict the Internet.
You responded in droves, speaking up for Internet freedom and sending in your comments on the negotiations. First we took the petition signatures to a lead TPP negotiator, then we projected citizen comments on the walls inside the TPP’s “stakeholder engagement” session. Now, we’re scaling up even further, by going to the TPP negotiations in person to read out your comments.
EFF.org: Trans-Pacific Partnership is trading away our digital rights
The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement is about to get a bit more crowded, with Canada formally joining as 'second-tier' negotiators at next month's talks. These closed-door meetings will include discussions that could censor, criminalize and apply fines to everyday Internet users.
Let the lobbyists and bureaucrats behind the TPP know that citizens worldwide rightfully deserve a seat at the table. Send your message through OpenTheTPP.net – we'll be sharing what you have to say at next month's negotiations.
Article by Maira Sutton for EFF.org
The next round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement negotiations will take place from December 3-12 in Auckland, New Zealand, and it will be done with the same level of secrecy as the last 14 rounds. And like all of the previous rounds of talks, it will take place in a luxury venue, only this time in a high-end casino, that itself is embroiled in its own controversy over corrupt dealings.
Thanks for asking us anything!
What do you get when you round up an enthusiastic group of digital rights experts, online innovators and advocates of Net Freedom – all with the purpose of taking any and all questions from members of the Internet community?
If yesterday’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Reddit is to be any indication, this arrangement of opinions creates an engaging, provoking and open-ended conversation. It was a discussion that worked to unite the Internet Freedom movement and invoke action to be taken against the counter-intuitive Internet restrictions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.
Along with OpenMedia.ca’s Steve Anderson and Reilly Yeo answering questions from the Reddit community, we were joined by our StopTheTrap.net coalition partners at EFF, Public Knowledge, Electronic Frontiers Australia, Public Citizen and InternetNZ.
Michael Geist: TPP copyright laws could dismantle Canadian content
While Canada has been formally included as a negotiating party in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, more information from secretive texts and clauses is beginning to surface.
We've talked about how the TPP will restrict Internet access, criminalize and fine your actions online and collect your private data – but now it's been suggested that Canadian content rules could become overwritten to serve the corporate interests of Hollywood lobbyists.
Professor Michael Geist will be joining our ongoing Reddit discussion surrounding the TPP this afternoon until 7PM EST – we invite you to stop by and share your ideas with how to reach more Canadians with the crucial StopTheTrap.net campaign.
We’re hosting a Reddit AMA - join us!
We're on Reddit today from 9AM - 7PM EST talking about Internet freedom, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and what comes next for our StopTheTrap.net campaign.
Throughout the day, we'll be joined by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Professor Michael Geist and various digital rights experts from Electronic Frontier Foundation, Public Knowledge, InternetNZ, Electronic Frontiers Australia, Public Citizen and more. See here for a full list of participants and a session schedule.
Join in the conversation and share your ideas on how we can reach more people with the crucial StopTheTrap.net campaign.
What’s the Deal? Demand Transparency for the TPP
Canada has officially joined the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, and has done so as a second-tier partner, meaning that we have had to accept, sight-unseen, the provisions that have already been negotiated. As Ottawa law professor Michael Geist put it in an interview with the Vancouver Sun, “just by entering into discussions we have effectively agreed to a number of conditions the government hasn’t even told us about”.
A while back, when we were raising awareness about the potential impact of the TPP on copyright legislation in Canada, we highlighted a great article from Infojustice.org that breaks down how exactly our long-fought-over copyright bill C-11 would be changed by our agreement to the treaty, according to a leaked TPP document.
Over +115,000 signatures on StopTheTrap.net
Thanks to your support, we've reached 115,000 signatures on our campaign against the Trans-Pacific Partnership and its invasive Internet provisions. That's 115,000 citizens worldwide who won't stand for a restricted Internet, won't allow the collection of our private data and won't put up with harsh criminalized fines for everyday users.
We're amplifying our 115,000 voices and we're not done yet. Help us put the TPP's Internet trap to bed by signing and sharing our petition at StopTheTrap.net.
Macleans: Trans-Pacific Partnership could choke the free Internet
With Canada formally joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations last week, invasive copyright provisions could cost Canadians in having their personal data compromised, online access restricted and Internet actions criminalized.
Join over 115,000 people worldwide in speaking out for Internet freedom at StopTheTrap.net.
Article by Jesse Brown for Macleans
Yesterday, Heritage Minister James Moore announced that Canada has formally joined the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a group that is discussing a major trade agreement among us and Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the U.S., and Vietnam. The deal is at the negotiation stage now, but all countries at the table are expected to sign in late 2013.
Vancouver Sun: Canada joins TPP as critics warn Internet rights will suffer
Canada has now been formally admitted into the closed-door negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade agreement that could lead to harsh Internet restrictions and severe fines for everyday citizens.
Learn more about the TPP and how it could affect your Internet use at StopTheTrap.net.
Article by Gillian Shaw for The Vancouver Sun
Canada has officially joined Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations, a move that Canadian Internet advocates say could result in harsh restrictions on Internet use in Canada and leave ordinary citizens facing heavy fines and banishment from the online world over accusations of copyright infringement.
Internet access hindered by the Trans-Pacific Partnership
A lobbyist group is pushing for Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiators to force Canada into adopting a 'termination' system that would cut off Internet access for users accused of breaking copyright laws.
Join our campaign to stop the TPP's Internet trap at StopTheTrap.net and read more on this story at the Toronto Star website.
RT News: TPP as the secretive trade agreement that could rewrite the Internet
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free-trade agreement is being negotiated by a number of Pacific Rim countries, including the United States, Canada and Australia. Hidden within the TPP text is a chapter concerning copyright laws that could drastically change your everyday use of the Internet.
Speak out at StopTheTrap.net and let your voice be heard alongside +110,000 members of the pro-Internet community.
Green Party endorses Internet freedom
As a post-partisan organization, we celebrate when any of our political parties take action to stand up for Internet freedom. The Green Parties of Canada, New Zealand and Australia are uniting in speaking out against the restricting Internet provisions within the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. It's a statement that we hope to see become a continued dialogue for our government representatives.
Help speak out and spread the word at StopTheTrap.net. Let's ensure that governments worldwide are aware that we don't trust our Internet's future being signed away to a group of lobbyists and corporations.
Statement from Green Party of Canada:
The Green Party of Canada spoke out against the TPP’s Internet trap through a firm statement calling the TPP the “end of a free Internet”. We issued the statement with Green Parties of New Zealand, and Australia.
EFF: How OpenMedia is using the Internet to save the Internet
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement continues to threaten our free speech, Internet privacy and due process. As negotiators behind the TPP continue to hide the text from public eyes, we've been taking to the Internet to voice our concerns.
With your support, we're raising awareness of our StopTheTrap.net campaign and pushing for an open dialogue surrounding Internet Freedom. Find out more about the campaign against the TPP – and how it could affect you – as our Executive Director Steve Anderson speaks with Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Interview and article by Carolina Rossini of EFF.org
While US Trade Representative Ron Kirk, who oversees the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP), continues to declare that the trade negotiations are “the most open, transparent process ever,” we are confounded as to what he defines to be "open" or "transparent." They have yet to even provide the public — civil society organizations and policy makers — with any official documents relating to the text of the agreement. We are fighting for real transparency, which means access to the current draft documents or country proposals for provisions to into the agreement.
Reporting back: OpenTheTPP.net & the Virginia negotiations
Last week, negotiators and trade representatives behind the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement met in Virginia for another round of discussions. Once again, citizens of the pro-Internet community were left out of these secretive negotiations and public interest groups had their opportunities to speak out allocated in a series of 10-minute ‘stakeholder presentations’.
These presentations came with heavy criticism from our on-the-ground partners, with Public Knowledge even comparing the setup to a ‘science fair’ where stakeholders would have to compete in drawing attention to their booths and EFF noting that TPP officials refused to even comment on provisions in leaked TPP documents. The lack of a clearly defined mandate for the presentations resulted in much confusion and less opportunity to engage with negotiators. A member of Public Knowledge had this to say:
Often I saw negotiators and stakeholders watching from just outside the doorway of the rooms. Also, because the rooms were so close together and their doors were all open, the noise from other rooms or the hallway sometimes distracted from the presenters, who did not have microphones.
EFF: How the Trans-Pacific Partnership will affect Canadians
The many provisions within the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement include a copyright chapter that could severely impact everyday Internet use. Fines would be administered, content and entire websites would be removed and your private data could become compromised.
Read on for an interview with Professor Michael Geist that helps to address Canadian concerns on this controversial Internet Trap, and sign and share our petition at StopTheTrap.net.
Article by Carolina Rossini of Electronic Frontier Foundation
Canada had been lobbying to enter the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, and its efforts were seemingly paid off with an exclusive invite to the secretive nine-country trade agreement in June. There is no doubt that the TPP will affect many areas of the Canadian economy from agriculture to manufacturing, but the agreement would also regulate intellectual property rights and that could have big consequences for Internet users’ freedoms.
Open The TPP campaign turns heads at negotiations
Over the past week, we've been asking you to submit your comments, images and opinions regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Yesterday, our coalition partners met with negotiators and shared your feedback – turning heads and creating discussion based on what YOU had to say.
Your messages were provoking and united by a shared opinion that we deserve to know more about the secretive TPP trade agreement. If you haven't already, feel free to share your thoughts in a comment below or at OpenTheTPP.net. We'll continue to gather your comments and report back in more detail soon.
Picture of the OpenTheTPP stream in action
Council of Canadians: Talks resume on trade agreement that could harm innovation and online privacy
The latest round of negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership are underway this week, with lobbyists and corporate advisers making decisions on ways to regulate and restrict our Internet use.
The TPP's regressive approach to intellectual property is shrouded in secrecy and only made available to 600 or so industry representatives. Even Canada won't have a say in the negotiating process until they are formally admitted to talks in December.
Join our http://OpenTheTPP.net/ campaign to share your comments with negotiators and let's push to make the TPP text available to citizens worldwide.
Article by Stuart Trew for The Council of Canadians
A 14th round of Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade and investment negotiations begins in Virginia, U.S.A. today as scorn for the agreement’s proposed intellectual property chapter piles up. To be fair, that scorn is almost entirely aimed at the United States’ positions on patent and other monopoly protections for pharmaceutical firms, as well as on copyright and internet rules, which civil society observers and even other TPP negotiating countries see as regressive, unnecessary, dangerous to public health and harmful of online privacy and innovation.
Momentum shifts in push towards Internet freedom: StopTheTrap.net update
Get ready to raise some ruckus: the next round of TPP negotiations is only a week away. From Thursday, September 6th to Saturday the 15th, in Leesburg, Virginia, U.S.A, negotiators will reconvene behind closed doors and make decisions about the future of Internet freedom worldwide.
We at OpenMedia and the StopTheTrap.net Coalition are planning our next moves—we can’t wait to share them with you—but while we plug away, here’s a quick update on where the fight against the secretive and restrictive TPP agreement is today:
RWW: Why you should you be terrified of the Trans-Pacific Partnership
The Trans-Pacific Partnership has long been shrouded in secrecy. Although a few key leaks have given insight to strict copyright laws, collection of private data and criminalized Internet use – we still haven't been granted access to the text or negotiating process. Even the upcoming 'Stakeholder Presentations' are beginning to see resistance from trade representatives, making it an extremely limited way of including public interest in the discussions. We have a plan to ensure your voices are heard. Stay tuned for further updates and help spread the word on our http://StopTheTrap.net/ campaign.
EFF: The TPP’s Temporary Copies Provision
Last week we shared how the latest leak of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) text had shown differing opinions regarding intellectual property rights. Now, we're looking back to an earlier leak that addresses this particular chapter and how it could affect our Internet access.
The intellectual property chapter describes how under the TPP, copyright laws could be extended to cover temporary copies – which are often made during routine computing functions. These strict provisions could lead to situations where your computer is monitored, content is restricted and viewing licenses are required.
Help put an end to the copyright wrongs of the TPP and join the over 100,000 pro-Internet supporters who have signed our petition at http://StopTheTrap.net/.
Article by Maira Sutton for EFF (The Electronic Frontier Foundation)
We've been following the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the huge ramifications it would have for the future of the open Internet, access to knowledge, and innovation. Based on what we know from its leaked intellectual property chapter (IP chapter), it carries many of the restrictive copyright provisions that already exist in U.S. law. From what we have seen, however, this agreement is even more extreme: it does not export the many balances and exceptions that favor the public interest and act as safety valves in limiting rightsholders’ protection.
Latest TPP leak suggests a wave of dissent amongst negotiating parties
Citizens around the world clearly don’t like what the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)—a worrying multinational trade agreement—would do to the Internet and the rules that surround its governance. This distrust and concern has been vocalized clearly by over 100,000 pro-Internet community members who have signed the StopTheTrap.net petition.
Beyond the TPP’s clear potential to lock us into an Internet trap, which would criminalize a lot of what we do online, there’s also the secrecy aspect: the TPP negotiation process has been anything but transparent and accountable.
Public participation? Recognition of civil society stakeholders? Industry lobbyists don’t want any of it.
The ITU takes a (half-measured) step towards transparency
Last month, we reposted an article that reported a move by the United Nations’ International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to take over management of the Internet. This is a worrying move that could allow certain oppressive nations to threaten the freedom and openness of the Internet.
The issue is due to be debated in December at the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), and we’ve joined with the pro-Internet community to demand that these negotiations are transparent, and that civil society groups and the public are able to participate.
We recently received a response from the Secretary-General of the ITU explaining the moves the ITU is making towards increased transparency, which is a really positive step that shows that our concerns are being heard. However, the moves outlined seem to be little more than half-measures; we have a long way to go before citizens get the transparency we deserve.
Slate.com: The TPP is The Most Important Trade Agreement That We Know Nothing About
What is the TPP hiding? It's long been referred to as a "trade agreement" between the countries that are negotiating, but in reality it addresses more than twenty chapters of provisions that include everything from telecommunications, financial services and government procurement.
Of particular interest to the pro-Internet community are the stipulations regarding intellectual property. Public domain could be contested, 'digital locks' would be created to combat piracy and entire webpages could be deleted.
We're now less than 300 away from 100,000 people who are against the TPP's Internet trap - help close the door on the secrecy of the TPP by adding your name to our petition and make a contribution to the campaign.
Article by David S. Levine
Imagine being invited to formally offer input on a huge piece of legislation, a proposed international agreement that could cover everything from intellectual property rights on the Internet to access to medicine to investment rights in the agreement’s signatory countries. For 10 minutes, you’d be able to say whatever you’d like about the proposed law—good, bad, or indifferent—to everyone involved in the negotiations. But there’s a caveat: All of your questions, all of your input, on what may be the most controversial part of the package, would have to be based on a version of the proposed international agreement that was 16 months old. And in that 16-month period, there were eight rounds of negotiations that could have changed any and all of the text to which you had access, but no one could tell you if that version was still accurate.
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