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US Says 4.3 Billion People Live With Bad IP Laws

Posted by Soulskill on from the shame-on-all-of-you dept.

bowser100 writes "The US government has released its annual Special 301 report (PDF) in which it purports to identify those countries with inadequate intellectual property laws. Michael Geist digs into the report, noting the list is so large that it is rendered meaningless. According to the report, approximately 4.3 billion people live in countries without effective intellectual property protection. Since the report does not include any African countries outside of North Africa, the US is effectively saying that only a small percentage of the world meets its standard for IP protection."

6 of 229 comments (clear)

  1. IP Limit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Luckily the IP limit is right around 4.3 billion. Just wait until IPv6. Wait, I think I misunderstood...

  2. Irony! by kurokame · · Score: 2, Funny

    This is actually irony for once, right? Because somehow they forgot to count the 300 million people in the United States who live with bad IP laws.

  3. The whole world lives with bad IP laws by MikeRT · · Score: 1, Funny

    Either they are too lax (or laxly enforced) or they basically turn buyers into the modern equivalent to sharecroppers with regard to their property rights in the goods they buy. What we need is a global system that treats copyrighted goods like physical goods, and enforces the norms of physical goods on them. The government's only role should be to create enough artificial scarcity so that the goods can be sold.

  4. Re:Which is to say by killmenow · · Score: 2, Funny

    I just re-read my post and realized I fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never use an apostrophe in the possessive "its" when death is on the line!

  5. Canada by DarthVain · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Canada
    Canada will remain on the Priority Watch List in 2010. The United States looks forward to the government of Canada’s implementation of its previous commitments, recently reaffirmed in 2010, to improve IPR protection, and is encouraged by the high level of cooperation between the Canadian and United States governments on IPR matters. However, Canada has not completed the legislative reforms in the copyright area that are necessary to deliver on its commitments. The United States urges Canada to enact legislation in the near term to update its copyright laws and address the challenge of Internet piracy. Canada should fully implement the WIPO Internet Treaties, which Canada signed in 1997. Canada’s weak enforcement of intellectual property rights is also of concern, and the United States continues to encourage Canada to improve its IPR enforcement system to provide for deterrent sentences and stronger enforcement powers. In particular, border enforcement continues to be weak. The United States encourages Canada to provide its border officials with the authority to seize suspected infringing materials without the need for a court order. The United States will continue to follow Canada’s progress toward implementing an adequate and effective IPR protection and enforcement regime, including its progress on actions to address Internet piracy and improve border enforcement."

    Ya. We'll get right on top of that.

    Though I am pretty sure our Conservative government has bigger problems than your stupid IP laws.

  6. Re:Where is the evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    If anyone has pointers to evidence either way, I'd love to see it.

    http://xkcd.com/138/