Today saw the biggest leak so far of ACTA info. Michael Geist has details on Internet and Civil Enforcement Chapters With Country Positions
Nathan Torkington has posted a summary of New Zealand’s standpoint on various issues within the leaked document.
The treaty remains protected by “National Security”, and these are all unofficial leaks. We can’t be sure that the document is genuine, but it appears to be the real deal.
Despite not releasing any official info, New Zealand’s Ministry of Economic Development has today asked the public for ACTA advice.
Good on the NZ government for making those objections.
This whole treaty is still a pile of bad ideas and a blatant attempt by US businesses to export their policies world-wide, but since it’s going to be rammed through regardless, we might as well mitigate the damage as much as possible.
Why is NZ participating in this? We may be a voice for toning down the worst aspects in the talks, but the whole thing is about propping up seriously broken patent and copyright regimes. These need to be seriously re-thought from first principles, not further entrenched. We should completely pull out, and lobby other countries to do likewise.
IP reform in general is not on the cards, because it won’t benefit big business, and they’re the ones that set the rules.
That’s why we end up with the whole “piracy” issue stemming from file-sharing in the first place. In a sane situation, that wouldn’t be a crime at all; but it’s in the interests of corporations to keep it that way, so it won’t ever change.
About the only thing you can hope for is for revolutionary technologies to eventually bankrupt them.