Australia to Get Software Patents and Anti-Circumvention Laws

Marlor writes "Australia's main opposition party have just confirmed that they will be supporting the Free Trade Agreement with the USA. This means that Australia will be adopting DMCA-style laws and Software Patents in the name of 'harmonizing IP laws with the USA', despite consistent lobbying against them. Matters are made worse by the fact that, unlike Americans, Australians are not protected by 'fair use' provisions." Odd that 'harmonizing' is always in one direction - for some reason, no one ever wants to decrease IP regulation to harmonize with some other country.

Comments

It's not odd!

[Zeroth_darkos]

Harmonization is always in the direction of the power. It doesn't have a thing to do with what's good for innovation anymore.

Just consider it payback...

[Rude Turnip]

For plaguing us with not one, or two, but *three* Crocodile Dundee movies!

How 'bout that?

[ChozCunningham]

Odd that 'harmonizing' is always in one direction - for some reason, no one ever wants to decrease IP regulation to harmonize with some other country.

Because restrictive IP laws create concentration of wealth, which is power. Power leads to the ability to coerce others. And nobody grows powerful by using their existing wealth to create an envirinment that is free-er.

Not odd

[shackma2]

Odd that 'harmonizing' is always in one direction - for some reason, no one ever wants to decrease IP regulation to harmonize with some other country.

It's not odd at all. The Australian government wants more trade from the US, whitch will only occur if the Australian government increases IP regulation. If the Australian people want less IP regulation (I.e. fair use clauses), its up to them to lobby their government. Things don't usually happen in government because its the right thing to do, things happen because of interests. In this case, businesses (both US and Australian) have a compelling interest towards more trade, so until there is a compelling interest towards fair use the Australian government will probbley not get around to it.

Time to move to Finland

[the_raptor]

I am an Australian and am completely sick of our Governments (both parties) acting like cheap hookers around US corporations. Screw you guys I am moving to Finland.

Does this mean...

[yuud]

That US patents will apply to Australian software developers? Australia's economy is tiny compared to the US, and I'm not keen on the effect this has on Australia IT startups trying to avoid the patent highwayman on all the backroads... :(

A black day, indeed.

[FoboldFKY]

Today, the final shread of faith that I had left in my government has finally disappeared. I am now sorry to be Australian.

I "know" why they're doing this. The same reason they got into politics in the first place. Power. Money. Fame. Although perhaps the wholesale "if you don't cave in, you can forget about trade and any kind of military protection in the future" line from the US government helped seal the deal.

What I do not understand is how these people sleep at night, knowing they have sold out every last Australian they supposedly represent. Do they lie in bed next to their loved ones and think "today I signed away my people's freedoms to foreign companies; what a great leader I am"? Or are they just so profoundly stupid that they can't see the plague they are about to unleash on us?

To the Liberals and Labor: you make me ashamed to even be the same nationality as you. If I ever hear you utter the word "freedom" again, I will be sick.

I'm going to cry in the corner now. You can rest easy knowing that you've betrayed us all.

Re:A black day, indeed.

[drtomaso]

First, some disclaimers: IANAL, IANAA, IANAAL (I am not a lawyer, an Australian, or even an Australian Lawyer)

As I am not an Australian, I cannot speak for your people, your government or your political parties. However, in any republican government, and Australia and the US would seem to qualify, governing will always boil down to special interest politics. Governing is a complex task, and one of the benefits of having small, vocal minorities is that they do the enormous amount of highly specialized research on the issues for the representatives. In a way, its one of the few things that keeps the process of governing from becoming overloaded.

What you have to realize is that on the issues like DMCA-style legislation, the world breaks down into three categories- a special interest that really wants strong 'IP' laws (media conglomerates, monopolistic software titans, etc) , a special interest that really doesnt want them (slashdot geeks, libertarians, eff members) and the largest group out there: the completely apathetic/ignorant. Now, given that the vast majority of the represented dont care one way or the other which way their representatives go on this issue, which would you chose? The small special interest that posts stories on a web page all day or the small special interest offering you, not just campaign contributions, but a trade agreement that could bring both $ and jobs to your community.

That doesnt make it right, but until "we the people" wake up and actually start to care in the US, the place to fight this is the courts. I'd assume that to be a good place in Australia, Canada and the UK as well.

Killing the IT industry

[Slinky Saves the Wor]

Apparently the government of Australia has nothing better to do than to attempt the killing of the IT industry of Australia.

The idea behind the so-called "Free Trade" treaty will work when ALL countries on this Earth adhere to it, and enforce it. But while there are countries which do not have such strict laws, the countries implementing such laws will suffer a severe competitive disadvantage.

The result will be that the law will be evaded by taking work elsewhere. This means lost revenues and hurts the Australian IT industry.

Have you noticed how the Internet and things dealing with it are slowly sinking into a swamp full of legalization? The reason is to attach to the Internet the same power structures as the "old" business has, the same rulers, the same power players, the same mind-numbing consumer-grade nothingness.

A quick note on this isssue....

[xquark]

The FTA has not passed the Australian senate, and
most likely will not be ratified until after this
year's Australian federal elections.

The hold-up is being caused by the major opposition
party in Australia not agreeing to terms set forward
by Americans regarding the fedral acquisition and
subsidies of pharmaceuticals.

Hopefully this sticking point will render the FTA
void and hence stop any further destruction of the
Australian patent and intellectual property laws

Arash Partow

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Instead of being one who knows not what they don't know,
Thinking they know everything about all things.
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