WikiLeaks previews IP section of the Trans-Pacific Partnership
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The anti-secrets website revealed a purported draft of the free-trade agreement, amid criticism that the proposed treaty between the U.S. and 11 Pacific Rim nations could limit Internet freedom.
The TPP has been secretly negotiated for nearly three years.
“Because the Obama administration has deemed the talks to be classified information, this appears to be the first time the public is getting a glimpse at the pact,” CNET reports.
The released section includes stipulations on digital rights management, patents, copyrights and ISP liabilities.
Labeling it the "most controversial chapter,"WikiLeaks said the text is reminiscent of the surveillance and enforcement provisions in the discarded U.S. SOPA and ACTA bills.
The non-government organization Knowledge Ecology International said in a statement that the draft "confirms fears that the negotiating parties are prepared to expand the reach of intellectual property rights, and shrink consumer rights and safeguards."
Some American Congress members have objected to the agreement’s scant legislative branch oversight.
Under an executive branch procedure called "Trade Promotion Authority," dubbed Fast Track, “the executive branch is empowered to sign trade agreements before Congress has an opportunity to vote on them, and then unilaterally write legislation making the pacts' terms U.S. federal law," according to a letter signed by 22 House Republicans on Nov. 12. "By requiring the House to vote on the bill within a [preset] period of time, it takes the floor schedule out of the hands of the House majority and gives it to the president."
CNET notes: “The treaty negotiations have also attracted more than 100,000 signatures to an online petition that opposes possible government proposals for stricter Internet laws. The ‘Say no to Internet censorship’ petition, which was launched in late September by advocacy organization OpenMedia, targets participants in the talks, which includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Peru, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, and Vietnam.”
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