Debate: Secret TPP Text to Eliminate Internet Freedom Exposed
A 95 page draft of a chapter of possibly the most consequential U.S. trade deal in history released by WikiLeaks on Wednesday details plans regarding patents, copyright, trademarks and industrial design, "showing their wide-reaching implications for Internet services, civil liberties, publishing rights and medicine accessibility," "Democracy Now!" reports.
A 95 page draft of a chapter of possibly the most consequential U.S. trade deal in history released by WikiLeaks on Wednesday details plans regarding patents, copyright, trademarks and industrial design, “showing their wide-reaching implications for Internet services, civil liberties, publishing rights and medicine accessibility,” “Democracy Now!” reports.
“Democracy Now!” continues:
Critics say the deal could rewrite U.S. laws on intellectual property rights, product safety and environmental regulations, while backers say it will help create jobs and boost the economy. President Obama and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman reportedly wish to finalize the TPP by the end of the year and are pushing Congress to expedite legislation that grants the president something called “fast-track authority.” However, this week some 151 House Democrats and 23 Republicans wrote letters to the administration saying they are unwilling to give the president free rein to “diplomatically legislate.”
On Thursday, “Democracy Now!” hosted a debate on the TPP between Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch and a former Truthdigger of the Week, and Bill Watson, a trade policy analyst at the Cato Institute.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
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