Confirmed: US Was The 'Lone Holdout' In Refusing To Release ACTA Text

from the transparency? dept

Wed, Apr 27th 2011 7:18am — Mike Masnick

Throughout the ACTA negotiations, the USTR insisted on two things: (1) it was being as transparent as possible in the negotiations and (2) that it simply couldn't agree to release the document because other countries would get upset and leave the negotiating table. Of course, while it later came out that a small group of countries were against transparency, almost all of those countries backed down on the transparency issue after that report was leaked. And, yet, there was still no transparency from the USTR. Why? Well, it's now come out that the USTR was "the lone hold out" on the issue -- mainly over whether or not the text that was still under negotiation would be released or not. Everyone else was fine with releasing the versions that still had text under discussion. The US alone refused. Not only that, but they had to fight hard to keep such text secret:

The Euros and some others push hard for release, but since it required consensus the text will not be released. We spent the final 3 hours arguing over all of this.

This is the sort of "transparency" that our government provides? They promise to be transparent, and everyone wants that transparency, but the USTR/Obama administration fights it. Shameful.

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Filed Under: acta, copyright, transparency, ustr

37 Comments

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Michael, 27 Apr 2011 @ 7:25am

Answer
"This is the sort of "transparency" that our government provides?"

umm...yup.
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- The eejit (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 7:40am
  
  Re: Answer
  I think this needs facepalm.jpg. Mostly because it's the only way to cope without massive himicidal rampages being in America's future.
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Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 7:37am

USA! USA!
Freedom of opacity is still a freedom! Every other nation can suck it!
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Marcel de Jong (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 7:51am

ironic isn't it?
the laaaand of the freeeeeeeeeeeee... and the hoooooooome of the braves.
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- Dark Helmet (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 7:59am
  
  Re: ironic isn't it?
  "the laaaand of the freeeeeeeeeeeee... and the hoooooooome of the braves."
  
  Uh, Turner Field is the home of the Braves. Good pitching staff, though....
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  - Michael, 27 Apr 2011 @ 8:03am
    
    Re: Re: ironic isn't it?
    and according to the MLB, nothing is free.
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    - Dark Helmet (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 8:06am
      
      Re: Re: Re: ironic isn't it?
      Yeah! Those players are always infringing second base, too!
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      - Anonymous Coward, 27 Apr 2011 @ 8:12am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: ironic isn't it?
        Ah, so that's why they call them pirates.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Apr 2011 @ 8:05am

But they are transparent. Couldn't we see right through them and their machinations?
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Apr 2011 @ 8:15am

This surprises me about as much as the rising sun.
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weneedhelp (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 8:28am

Obamanible snowjob
Should have known. The evidence was out there. Oh well.
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FuzzyDuck, 27 Apr 2011 @ 8:45am

Right
Every day I fail a little more to see the difference between Bush and Obama.

Except of course that Obama promised transparency, and all that, if he would be elected:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UErR7i2onW0
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- The Groove Tiger (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 9:38am
  
  Re: Right
  The difference is that Bush was a Grade A douchebag. Obama is merely a Grade 1 douchebag.
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  - Chris Rhodes (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 10:00am
    
    Re: Re: Right
    The difference is that one of them can only speak with a teleprompter, and the other can't speak in general.
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Gnosti, 27 Apr 2011 @ 8:55am

pfft
I for one think that we're getting exactly the transparency that was promised. The lies of this administration are more transparent than any previous administration before it. Job well done Obama! You're practically living in a glass house now!
Now someone hand me that rock...
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Josef Anvil (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 8:59am

Can we just get over it??????
Transparency...

Sure the Obama administration is a let down, because of the high expectations. But c'mon, with all of the things that any US President has to look at on any given day, it is UNREASONABLE to expect that any administration would tackle the red tape of EVERY dept in the US Government.

The President is the head of the Executive Branch. There is a limit to what he can do. For any Presidential candidate to say that he will tackle the corruption in DC is just a pipe dream, and if you really expected a significant "change", you were delusional. Undoing the damage of the previous 8 years of Bush is an hercluean task.

Just be happy that King Bush is gone and hope that we never have another Pres. that regularly abuses executive privilege.

Back to your regularly scheduled comments....
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- Squirrel Brains (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 9:11am
  
  Re: Can we just get over it??????
  And here we go. Queue Obama apologists and then blame Bush (there is a lot of blame there, don't get me wrong). However, we should not get over it. We need to continue to point out corruption, hypocrisy and lies where ever they may be, even if the current administration may (a lot of room for debate) be slightly better than the previous one.
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- weneedhelp (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 9:13am
  
  Re: Can we just get over it??????
  Sure the Obama administration is a let down, because of the high expectations.
  Expectations set by him. If he knew damn well he could not deliver, he shouldn't have said it.
  
  "The President is the head of the Executive Branch. There is a limit to what he can do."
  Never heard of signing statements huh?
  
  "Just be happy that King Bush is gone and hope that we never have another Pres."
  Yeah now its King Obama.
  
  "Undoing the damage of the previous 8 years of Bush"
  ??? You really believe it began with the 8 years of BushCo?
  OK.
  
  Can we just get over it? Really? Sad.
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  - Squirrel Brains (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 9:20am
    
    Re: Re: Can we just get over it??????
    Interesting question:
    Which "weak-power executive" president is everyone's favorite?
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    - The eejit (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 9:53am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Can we just get over it??????
      FDR, clearly[/sarc]
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    - Jay (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 9:56am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Can we just get over it??????
      Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and even Andrew Jackson had some good things about them.
      
      Hoover , Nixon, Reagan, both Bushes, + Obama have succeeded in showing us the marriage of corporate interest in the political system.
      
      Hoover - created the FBI to spy on rich Americans.
      
      Nixon - Watergate scandal.
      
      Bush Sr. - "Read my lips, no new taxes." Politicians don't lie right?
      
      Bush Jr - Neocon image that makes no sense when you see the laws endorsed are all pro business and do little for consumers. Little is done to protect consumers from shady businesses. It's all merely to find ways to make revenue flow into government coffers in some way, shape or form.
      
      Obama - Greatest disappointment is how he's literally shredded the Constitution. The secrecy behind the ACTA, Obamacare(heavily influenced by business interests), and the way he continues to treat Bradley Manning continues to weaken his argument that he was an advocate of change.
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      - crade (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 10:46am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Can we just get over it??????
        How could he shred the constitution? It was blinked out of existence when the patriot act came in and hasn't reappeared yet. Also, ACTA secrecy (and the fact that it was the US that wanted it) was old news by the time Obama came around.
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        Anonymous Coward, 27 Apr 2011 @ 11:18am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Can we just get over it??????
        And he couldn't have signed a document changing that? Isn't that what he wanted? Change?
        
        Sort of agreed on the Patriot Act. They had to vote it in though. If they didn't, they weren't patriots.
        
        I think the easiest way to fix this is to put a huge retraction into a bill and call it "Vote for this or you love terrorism!"
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        xs (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 12:20pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Can we just get over it??????
        Sign an executive order to over turn a law passed by overwhelming number of congress people? Granted it was passed against the wishes of majority of the people, but if Obama tries to do anything to it, he'll get an impeachment hearing before any changes can be implemented.
        
        If you people are so concerned about constitutions been shredded, stop voting in neo-conservatives.
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        Anonymous Coward, 27 Apr 2011 @ 2:03pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Can we just get over it??????
        HAHAHAHAHAHA! No, wait. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Alright, I think I'm HAHAHAHAHAHA! Crap, sorry.
        
        Buddy, I don't vote for neo-anything. I don't trust 'conservatives' or 'liberals' in the least. They're two sides of the same coin.
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        crade (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 12:21pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Can we just get over it??????
        I guess my expectations of politicians has been driven so low that I don't even have a category for "good things they should have done but didn't". I have learned that talk at election time should never be taken the least bit seriously. Getting information out of an election campaign is like trying to sift for gold in my cat's litter box.
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        Anonymous Coward, 27 Apr 2011 @ 2:07pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Can we just get over it??????
        Getting information out of an election campaign is like trying to sift for gold in my cat's litter box
        
        That's an apt metaphor. All you actually find is shit unless someone accidentally dropped something worthwhile in there. I'm pirating that statement from you. I thought it would be 'common courtesy' to let you know first.
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        crade (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 3:17pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Can we just get over it??????
        I'm not going to give you permission, but I'm going to wait until you made millions off it somehow then sue you for 87%.
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        Anonymous Coward, 27 Apr 2011 @ 3:25pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Can we just get over it??????
        Fair enough. Try to use the words 'crapped all over my IP' somewhere in the lawsuit so I know who is suing me.
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        Jay (profile), 28 Apr 2011 @ 6:34am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Can we just get over it??????
        "How could he shred the constitution? It was blinked out of existence when the patriot act came in and hasn't reappeared yet. Also, ACTA secrecy (and the fact that it was the US that wanted it) was old news by the time Obama came around."
        
        It's actually older than that. Nixon is who I'll remember as the one that began the slow burn, with the Drug Enforcement Act. Everyone else afterwards just keeps the same old crap going.
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- Anonymous Coward, 27 Apr 2011 @ 11:14am
  
  Re: Can we just get over it??????
  Really? So he leaves executive policies in place that the former asshat created, but it's not his fault because he's just the President. The old asshat was a monster though, right?
  
  Seriously, get your shit straight. They're the same guy. Obama is Bush the Third. We haven't had a decent president in years and anyone claiming otherwise has been fooled or is attempting to fool others.
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  - FuzzyDuck, 27 Apr 2011 @ 12:33pm
    
    Re: Re: Can we just get over it??????
    We haven't had a decent president in years and anyone claiming otherwise has been fooled or is attempting to fool others.
    
    Indeed. And there won't be a good one until at least 2016, because on the one hand we will have Mr disappointment himself again and on the other....? Palin, Trump? Guaranteed to be even worse...
    
    Seriously the only chance would be a moderate Republican, one that will be hated by the religious right but can appeal to those in the middle. So please Americans go vote in the Republican primaries and pick a good moderate experienced politician that can kick Obama's butt out of the oval office and won't be worse than him.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 27 Apr 2011 @ 2:04pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Can we just get over it??????
      I'd do a write in vote for Mickey Mouse but I'm sure that would just lead to longer copyright terms.
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- Anonymous Coward, 27 Apr 2011 @ 2:55pm
  
  Re: Can we just get over it??????
  ...The President is the head of the Executive Branch. There is a limit to what he can do.
  
  Like go to war with Libya?
  
  ...it is UNREASONABLE to expect that any administration would tackle the red tape of EVERY dept in the US Government.
  
  It is, however, perfectly reasonable for the POTUS and his administration to not be complete corporate whores. But yet, they are. So, there you are.
  
  He hasn't brought change. He brought status-quo. He is a clueless liar and a sellout, just like his 4 predecessors. Period. This country is so entirely fucked and nobody seems to realize it or care. Keep voting these prostitutes in and when shit finally collapses, please try not to act surprised.
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- D, 28 Apr 2011 @ 8:13am
  
  Re: Can we just get over it??????
  Begin typical there is too much for a president to do in defence of Obama "But c'mon, with all of the things that any US President has to look at on any given day, it is UNREASONABLE to expect that any administration would tackle the red tape of EVERY dept in the US Government."
  
  Begin typical Bush is to blame for it all attack "Undoing the damage of the previous 8 years of Bush is an hercluean task"
  
  ........
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Roberto, 27 Apr 2011 @ 9:47am

no surprise
Why am I not surprised?
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Thomas (profile), 27 Apr 2011 @ 11:37am

The government..
is absolutely obsessed about secrecy; they don't want the people to know what they have been up to. The last thing they want is any kind of real transparency in government.
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