Crony Capitalism: Big Companies Sponsor Fancy Dinner For TPP Negotiators
from the not-cool dept
We've talked about the ridiculous Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement negotiations, which are being held with incredible levels of secrecy, and which appear to include a wishlist of every copyright reform change that Hollywood wants, with little to no public scrutiny. The USTR, who's in charge of negotiating the agreement for the US claims that there's unprecedented transparency -- and that may be true if you're talking about the unprecedented lack of transparency in the negotiations. And where it gets really ridiculous is that while the public has no access to the information, the big company lobbyists have pretty much full access. We already spoke about the recent meetings in Hollywood, where TPP negotiators got to party with the Hollywood elite -- but civil society/public interest groups who tried to hold an open meeting in the hotel (and reserved space and everything) were kicked out of the hotel.The latest is the news that tonight (as we post this), a bunch of big companies who employ some of the key lobbyists supporting the extreme nature of TPP... are hosting a fancy, expensive dinner in Washington DC. The dinner is sponsored by the US Chamber of Commerce, Philip Morris, Chevron, PhRMA, Microsoft, Pfizer, Amgen, Dow Chemical, among others... and the ambassadors from the TPP countries will all be in attendance (though we've heard, but don't have confirmation, that Australia just pulled out after realizing how bad this looked).
The next round of TPP negotiations take place next week in Australia, so it's nice that the corporate interests pushing an extreme version of the agreement get to wine and dine all of the key negotiators at an expensive and closed off dinner in DC, huh? Public interest groups? They just found out about the dinner today and (as you might expect) really aren't welcome.
What's amazing to me is how incredibly tone deaf the USTR and the US government is to how this appears. The USTR is negotiating a massive agreement that will change IP laws in pretty significant ways which clearly could favor some of these large companies. And just days before they're set to negotiate... they're letting some of the biggest special interests supporting an extreme vision for TPP buy them a fancy dinner? Even if you can believe that they're not actually influenced by this, do they not realize just how bad this looks?
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Filed Under: copyright, crony capitalism, dc, dinners, sponsorship, tpp, trademark, ustr
Companies: amgen, chevron, dow chemical, microsoft, pfizer, philip morris, prma, us chamber of commerce
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TPP Negotiators???
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Re: TPP Negotiators???
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Re: TPP Negotiators???
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Re: TPP Negotiators???
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Re: Re: TPP Negotiators???
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Fortunately, with great power comes great stupidity.
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I mean, I had no I idea Philip Morris was facing piracy of downloaded cigarettes! This is totally and completely out of control! How will those Chinese know if it's a downloaded, pirated Marlboro Man or the real thing!????
That and you'd have thought they'd have learned from the shaky ground ACTA seems to be on in Europe these days that perhaps, just perhaps, negotiating in secret with special interests to change global laws and trading patterns isn't the way to go.
But no. There are more important things to do that be "transparent" or "in public" with this like go to well funded parties. Complete, no doubt, with all the distractions a well meaning trade negotiator could ever want. It is a Hollywood style party after all.
Bob Dylan once asked "When will they ever learn?" and all these years later the same question hasn't been answered except in the negative.
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It's amazing the things you dig up, trying to paint everything as cronyism.
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Bum: "Change! You got change?! Aw, c'mon! Help a guy out will ya! C'mon, change!"
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If it isn't the conversation needs to be open to the public. Otherwise it is.
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Leaks
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Re: Leaks
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Political Deafness
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Fools you do not know...
Forget your paranoia over copyrights. These people are talking about dismantling the United States of America.
WAKE UP! Before it's too late...
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Let's take a vote...
All in favor of living in the U.S.A. say aye.
Aye!
Really, the TPP has a vested interest in the demise of the good ole US of A. That's right, I said it, the are either willingly supporting this or; supporting it by default.
I don't know about you but I've had a pretty good life in the U.S.A. and I don't want to see it end either for me or my kids or my grandkids, Wife, cousins or anybody else that I care about anytime soon.
So, why are we tolerating a situation that will lead to the demise of the United States of America?
One reason. We are fat, dumb and lazy. Hard to take isn�t it? But it's the truth. Unlike hitler's germany which was looking for a messiah; we will simply go to slaughter like the sheep that we are.
Fat, dumb and lazy.
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Re: Let's take a vote...
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money can buy just about anything and those with the money dont care whose interests are lessened, disrupted, diminished or eroded as long as it isn't theirs!
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"KNOW YOUR PLACE"
This is the message im getting from these fucking twats
"KEEP PUSHING, AND SEE"
I hope im not the only one with this thought
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We are beginning to head down the right path as a nation. The amusing thing is, even when this is explained to people in power their arrogance prevents them from believing it will happen.
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ratification iminent
Don't say you weren't warned.
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Re: ratification iminent
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It's not just the TPP folks
https://www.eff.org/event/eff-mixer-google
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/2010 0621/0327579886.shtml
http://worldsfairuseday.org/
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Re: It's not just the TPP folks
You seem to ahve huge problems with your truthiness detector - here let me show you what the Truth is:
1) Negotiators of a secret treaty that the public isn't allowed into;
2) Said negotiators being courted by those whose sole existentence depends on such treaties to exist;
3) the Public only being told THE DAY BEFORE that said party is happening;
4) Your links being debunked on a regular basis, and you using the same three links over and over agin and again (I mean, seriously? THAT'S the best critici8sms you have?)
5) You not being willing to listen to reasoned arguments from other here.
Tell you what, why don't I confiscate that computer, as well as any other remotely technological belongings you have? I mean, no-one this stupid should be allowed to own any technology beyond a toothbrush. (I had to apply for a Computer Permit for mine, why didn't you?)
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Re: Re: It's not just the TPP folks
"In recognition of the many Googlers who have joined the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Google employees and their guests are invited by EFF Board member and Googler Brad Templeton to a special informal EFF Mixer. You will have a chance to mingle with fellow EFF Supporters and meet the people behind the world's leading digital civil liberties organization."
If you are going to tolerate Mike claiming all sorts of things, why not deal with the issue of Google using EFF as a mouth piece? It appears to be that Google has employees past and present inside EFF now.
Bob has a point - why are you ignoring it?
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Re: Re: Re: It's not just the TPP folks
Because he doesn't have a point. The two events are not comparable at all.
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Re: It's not just the TPP folks
I'm posting everywhere bob does, yay! Let's see how you like being constantly exposed for what you really are, bobby boy!
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TPP will makeNAFTA look like a GREAT DEAL
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