Slashdot Mirror
EU Demands Canada Gut Its Copyright and Patent Laws
An anonymous reader writes "Late last year, a draft of the European Union proposal for the
intellectual property chapter of Canada, EU Comprehensive Economic
Trade Agreement, leaked online.
The leak revealed that the EU was seeking some significant changes to
Canadian IP laws. Negotiations have continued and Michael Geist
has now obtained an updated copy
of the draft chapter, complete with proposals from both the EU and
Canada. He says the breadth of the demands is stunning — the EU
is demanding nothing less than a complete overhaul of Canadian IP laws
including copyright, trademark, databases, patent, geographic
indications, and even plant variety rights."
Global harmonization through treaties is creating a race to the bottom as far as the citizen's general welfare is concerned.
I can't imagine why Canada is still negotiating such a treaty when it seems to be so insanely one-sided.
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
How do you say "fuck off" in Canadian?
Seriously, as a Canadian this disgusts me. The EU, the US... What the hell gives these assholes the right to demand ANYTHING?
Makes me absolutely sick to read this. There is nothing wrong with Canada's laws. And that is exactly why they want it changed, so there IS something wrong with it to throw the balance off hugely in favour of coporations.
Despicable.
Don't ever give in. As a U.S. citizen, I am fully aware of an approaching need for someplace to run - not from socialism, but from corporate fascism.
Orwell: "In a Time of Universal Deceit, telling the Truth is a Revolutionary Act"
Well, it's a treaty. All the Canadians have to do is to not sign it.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
Is copyright ancillary to the author, or the author ancillary to the copyright? If human lifespan in becoming longer, shouldn't copyright extensions past an author's life be shortened instead of lengthened? Or does it still hold that the good die young?
There's a difference with this and seal hunts, corporations make money if seal hunts remain, corporations make money if copyright and patent laws are changed. The corporations will be on the other side for this.
I suspect your government knows who to listen to, just as ours do.
BM3
...it doesn't involve granting more protections to the consumer or public interest.
93rd rule of Slashdot: No matter how obvious my sarcasm is, my comment will be taken seriously by someone.
US-American?
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
In many cases this is a myth, a nice fiction we can tell ourselves to make us feel better. Treaties can be convenient way for governments to institute unpopular measures. Here's how it works:
Keep in mind that the real push for this comes from multinational media corporations. Governments are not negotiating as independent actors: these corporations intervene on all sides to coordinate and even draft proposals. What we really have is a group of likeminded businesses who operate in concert using individual countries as a front. The treaty then appears to be the result of self-interested negotiations between independent actors: in fact the aim is to stage-manage it to appear that way. Given a means to diffuse opposition (e.g. policy laundering), governments - or, more specifically, the relevant politicians and bureaucrats within governments - may find that lobbyists make sure it is in their personal interest to cooperate.
I have no personal knowledge of how this treaty is being negotiated. I am not accusing anyone of anything. I hope that the relevant individuals in government are representing the interests of Canadians. But I have no doubt this is the kind of thing the usual suspects are trying to pull. In which case the suggestion that "we can just say no" neatly conceals what's really happening.
One final point: Canada is in no way the equal of the EU. The EU has over 500 million people to Canada's 32 million. We tend to anthropomorphize negotiations as though countries were freely contracting equal citizens. They aren't. They are unequal powers.
I suspect the WTO would have something to say about that.
If the imports result in enough money to actually cause Canada any problems, it is highly unlikely that the EU has the capacity to fill that demand. A market like this isn't something you can expand at a day's notice.
The EU can demand all they want. This country in not part of the EU and we are quite happy with the way we've updated our copyright and patent laws. If they want to economically strong arm Canada into signing, we can just say no thank-you. Its not like we buy anything from Europe anyways. Except for, I'm sorry, nothing comes to mind, that we cannot produce here. In fact, it might be a great political move for our Prime Minister who needs LOTS of political capital.
Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the author.
Global harmonization through treaties is creating a race to the bottom as far as the citizen's general welfare is concerned.
When I see films, or read books, such as Judge Dredd I wonder how could this shit become reality? I ask myself whether there would be enough external sources to ensure a general liberty and rights of it citizens? Then I see shit like ACTA and this happening and I suddenly understand - scary.
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
Ah, so you think that the EU has the right to dictate Canadian law?
Dear fellow US citizen, as an American citizen, Canada remains a sovereign nation, so unless you know something I don't they can, and should, tell the US and EU to fuck right off in the form of an aggressive counter offer. Canada owes us nothing, regardless of what benefits they glean from our existence. We secure the world markets for ourselves, not Canada. We trade with Canada for ourselves, not Canada. We want them to sign this treaty for us, not them, so they should tell us to go fuck ourselves. V/R, Another America
You guys really should read up on international politics once in a while. Not only does the EU wield enough power to do this, they have already done this against the US with steel- the European Union is estimated at 500 million people (2010), that is a really big export market, taxes need not rise 4000% to get the message across.
Canada primarily deals with U.S., any EU economic ties are relatively marginal compared to that. It's not really a big stick. Oh, sure, it would hurt, but nowhere near enough, especially since, once it's applied, it would become a matter of principle to not give in.
Also, such measures hurt the one applying them as well. Which is why they can only be used with noticeable effect in a situation where the other side is at a significant disadvantage (e.g. they primarily export to you, but you import from nay other places). Which is not the case here.
Then, of course, the laws being demanded would also have an economic effect, and one could easily argue that it would be negative overall.
Well, Canada is a subject state to British crown, and Britain is a member of the EU...
More seriously, no, of course EU doesn't have the right to dictate to non-members. On the other hand, EU certainly does have the right to tax or outright ban imports from outside the union. Should Eu try to influence Canadian law by threatening to tax Canadian imports; now that is the question.
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.