Won't Somebody Think Of The Cows? New Zealand On The Brink Of Sacrificing Its Digital Future In TPP Negotiations

from the short-sighted-thinking dept

Thu, Nov 14th 2013 12:43am — Glyn Moody

Even before Wikileaks released the full text of TPP's IP chapter, New Zealand's Creative Freedom Foundation had already been given some hints about what was coming:

Last week the Creative Freedom Foundation participated in a group briefing and Q&A session with David Walker, NZ's Chief Negotiator in the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, and officials Angela Strahl and Yvonne Woutersen.

The meeting made it quite clear that, although the details aren't final, we can expect to lose many remix rights and see a greater 'orphaned works' problem here in New Zealand in exchange for more dairy exports to the U.S. Rather than further protecting artists' rights, this move will prop up a fundamentalist approach to copyright that will drain the pool of works currently accessible to artists who wish to freely build upon them.

…

NZ's Parallel Importing abilities are likely to stay unchanged, as is the ability to set our own limitations and exceptions to our domestic Copyright law. However, it was strongly hinted at that an extension of our Copyright Term is inevitable.

What the country's TPP negotiators are effectively doing here is to surrender key rights that belong to all New Zealanders, for the sake of some minor, and probably temporary, financial gains for a single industry with powerful lobbyists. That's a terrible bargain for the country's future. If these concessions are made, it will not only impoverish artists and the general public, who will suddenly be prevented from using and building on vast swathes of the digital past, it will also make it far harder to set up 21st-century companies that are based on creativity, not cows.

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Filed Under: copyright, cows, fair use, international trade, new zealand, orphan works, remix, tpp, trade

22 Comments

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Mark Wing, 14 Nov 2013 @ 1:34am

If you're going to sell your soul for some extra farm products, then at least hold out for bacon!
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anon cow herd, 14 Nov 2013 @ 2:16am

NZ Ag exports
As an ag student in NZ, albeit decades back, exports have accounted for as much as 75% of the nations GDP, and the only thing keeping it's balance of trade in anything like balance. I expect that percentage is lower now, but probably not as much as many might think.

NZ also has one of the best education systems around, and a highly educated population-I'll be a little surprised if they don't figure some of this out.
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Steve (profile), 14 Nov 2013 @ 2:36am

"What the country's TPP negotiators are effectively doing here is to surrender key rights that belong to all New Zealanders, for the sake of some minor, and probably temporary, financial gains for a single industry with powerful lobbyists."

You've completely misunderstood NZ here.

This isn't "a small industry with powerful lobbyists" this is a massive industry that employs - directly or indirectly - the vast majority of the electorate.

The government is wrong, but it didn't need any lobbying. We are almost completely dependent on Agriculture and Tourism, because we haven't developed our high tech industry properly. Yes, we could make some long term gains (which I would like) by actually protecting our creative and copyright interests, but that would be political suicide for either of the major parties.
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PaulT (profile), 14 Nov 2013 @ 2:55am

Re:
I think he was referring to the US recording industry, not the NZ farming industry.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Nov 2013 @ 3:16am

You'd think they would do a public vote especially when they're signing their asses over to us.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Nov 2013 @ 3:50am

Re:
SOPA pretty much taught governments that if you're going to teach your whole country to be a copyright cocksucker, you're going to have to quietly sign the agreement.
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silverscarcat (profile), 14 Nov 2013 @ 4:02am

Re: Re:
Too bad quiet doesn't work anymore, the more quiet the government is, the more people will look at what they're doing.

Really, the government is like a child.

"Honey, I don't hear the kids, they're doing something wrong."
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That One Guy (profile), 14 Nov 2013 @ 4:03am

Re:
Such would only make sense if they cared what the people thought and wanted, which they don't. If the one speaking doesn't have important connections and/or a hefty bank account, to those kinds of people they might as well not exist.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Nov 2013 @ 5:01am

NZ dairy
was around 25% of exports, last I heard. Major export markets include China, the US, Japan, the European Union, Malaysia, Australia, Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Belgium, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia.

The medical and drug patents are more likely to bite NZ in the ass in the long term. Apparently, the US thinks that since they spend more per capita than anyone else on health care (for relatively poor results), then everyone else should have to pay more to even things out.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Nov 2013 @ 5:01am

That's Nothing
In the next treaty the US is planning to pressure then into, they're required to sell all their cows for some magic beans.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Nov 2013 @ 5:05am

Re: NZ Ag exports
They did figure a way to ban software patents, they protested against ACTA and they gave birth to quite the successful FtP hack'n'slash, I think they know what to do.

Unfortunately, international agreements like TPP almost never get voted down, no matter the insanity-levels. Politicians are far too bought by local lobbies who have gotten their pet-bribes. The only question is if NZ has enough circulation for politicians to be more scared of voters than lobbies. In this case: If TPP is done within a year, the election could be quite interesting!
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Nov 2013 @ 5:15am

Re:
Even if one were to extrapolate 'more dairy exports' to mean 'more of all agriculture exports' agriculture is still only a relatively tiny 4.7% of the NZ economy.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Nov 2013 @ 5:49am

Well, we sure don't have any dairy here in the US, or dairy farms! Sounds like they could make hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars being the first people to sell dairy in the US! Sounds like a great deal to me! After all, it's not like US made dairy will have cheaper transportation costs or anything!
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Nov 2013 @ 6:48am

any news yet on the new jobs or rewards David Walker, Angela Strahl and Yvonne Woutersen are going to be given as payment for fucking up things for the rest of NZ? there has to be something. perhaps being given a cow named after each of them?
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Pixelation, 14 Nov 2013 @ 8:02am

"...it will also make it far harder to set up 21st-century companies that are based on creativity, not cows"

Exactly the way the US negotiators want it. Let's see if NZ'ers are willing to stand up.

Newest phrase from the US negotiators..."Let's milk 'em for all they're worth".
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Nov 2013 @ 8:38am

It SHEEP for New Zealand,, not cows !!!
Just say'in, if you want to live your life by sarcasm, get it right !!!
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martyburns (profile), 14 Nov 2013 @ 9:15am

Re: It SHEEP for New Zealand,, not cows !!!
Its definitely both. We just don't shag the cows.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Nov 2013 @ 10:33am

New Zealand has bigger problems than copywrong issues. The NZ Gov. just passed legislation legalizing domestic spying.

The NZ population now has to worry about becoming a totalitarian repressed society, due to John Key never reading a history book and learning about the Stasi.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Nov 2013 @ 2:05pm

Re: Re: It SHEEP for New Zealand,, not cows !!!
However if you want to get kinky, shag goats!!
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2013 @ 11:59am

Re: Re: It SHEEP for New Zealand,, not cows !!!
Breed shorter cows.
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Chargone (profile), 19 Nov 2013 @ 2:27am

Re:
Or perhaps learning too well.
Guy's gotta be taking his cues from Somewhere.
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Cowards Anonymous, 19 Nov 2013 @ 10:41am

Why the heck would the US import NZ milk when it exports 13% ($5.2 billion worth) of its own domestic milk production?

2012 US milk export data
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