Latest TPP Leaks Reveal That US Is Isolated In Its Desire To Push Through Corporate Exceptionalism
from the good-to-see dept
With the latest round of TPP negotiations ongoing, the folks over at Huffington Post got a hold of two leaked documents including a very useful spreadsheet highlighting all of the positions and areas of disagreement concerning every chapter of the TPP. What's quite revealing (and very good to see, though we'll see how it holds up) is that on many of the worst proposals, it appears that the US is very isolated, with either no one agreeing or maybe just one or two other countries agreeing. Of course, the US is obviously the most powerful force in these negotiations, so never underestimate the ability of the USTR to pressure countries to agree to these harmful policies -- but so far, it appears that other governments have been willing to push back on the US's extreme view of corporate sovereignty ("investor dispute resolution settlements") which would allow companies to ignore the laws of countries and sue those countries for "lost profits" when they disagree with the legal regime (say, for example, if a patent they wanted isn't granted). These programs have been a disaster in current agreements, and hopefully it appears that other countries now recognize this.It also appears that the US is somewhat isolated in its intellectual property proposals. Only Australia and Peru agree with the US's "patentability criteria." And no one at all agrees with the US's plans for extra protection for patents or to extend protections to new uses (such as plants, animals and surgical procedures). The US is also the only one supporting programs favorable to pharmaceutical companies around data protection. On the copyright side, it appears that everyone disagrees with the US's view of parallel importation (which, if still the same as it was from the last leaked version, disagrees with the US Supreme Court's own ruling on parallel importation). Only the US wants "establishment of criminal offenses for unintentional infringements of copyright, related rights and trademarks."
This is good to see -- but, again, the US is the most powerful voice in the room, and you won't believe the tricks that the USTR will pull to try to bend other countries to agree to these proposals. Hopefully, though, the other countries stand firm. Hell, the fact that so many other countries agree on so many other proposals suggests that perhaps they should just kick the US out and make their own agreement.
Oh, and the US isn't only isolated in pushing for bad proposals. It's also isolated in rejecting some proposals as well. For example, there's a proposal in the e-commerce chapter on "privacy obligations" which everyone has agreed to... except the US. Gee, the US not interested in privacy protections? I wonder why...
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Filed Under: copyright, investor state dispute settlement, isds, isolated, patents, tpp, ustr
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Umm, EXCEPT for all the corporations...
And again, even if true, it's only the usual politicking in what other countries are publicly presenting but will actually DO: odds are this will be passed despite the supposed objections of "every other" country...
No fools are worse than "libertarians" who are eager to be underdogs competing with inherited wealth and position The Rich have in "free markets".
09:01:37[k-2-1]
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Re: Umm, EXCEPT for all the corporations...
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Re: Umm, EXCEPT for all the corporations...
Umm, EXCEPT for all the corporations...
Let me try to pin you down for once"
Epic fail, next.
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not just tricks, they will use anything they can think of, including threats and sanctions! what other countries need to completely accept is that whatever proposals the USA wants or dont want are going to be beneficial only to the USA and it's industries. if other nations cant see that the USA is trying to take over the internet and basically the world's trade, they need to wake up. if there is something that is going to be detrimental to the USA and everyone else wants it in, the USA is going to play up joe fuck! now reverse things and the USA will again play up joe fuck until whatever everyone else doesn't want, but the USA does, is put in. i hope these other nations can see exactly what sort of state their own industries and their own people are going to be in if they cave to USA demands!
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It's very simple. They will buy the other countries' cooperation with our country's general funds, paid by the 99%, to secure benefits for the 1%.
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And seemingly the only mother fuckers that "deserve" privacy is the state now? The "state" can have secrets backed by laws and guns and we. don't. get. shit.? Damn it. Damn that to the fiery depths of the deepest hell.
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um, you *really* think that was to stop terrorism ?
or is it approximately infinitely more likely that it was for the benefit of unka sugar's trade 'negotiators'/enforcers ?
2. further, beyond mere trade-strategy intercepts, wiretapping, etc; i would bet dollars to donut-holes that -as per bidness as usual- salacious blackmail info was funneled to the CIA, and even less savory characters than they...
how much you wanna bet *some* trade delegates had a choice of having 'X' revealed about them, *or*, they take home a big envelope of cash, and vote for unka sugar ? ? ?
3. *beyond* that, is the fact -as per 'confessions of an economic hitman'- unka sugar rarely has to invoke crude physical threats, messy blackmail, etc: they simply bribe the right people (you know, making them an offer they can't refuse, but *NOTHING* like the real -you know- criminal mafia!), and everything goes as Empire planned...
art guerrilla
aka ann archy
eof
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I agree. They really should do this. The rest of the world needs to start putting US in our place.
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But that'd be sane and reasonable!
I'd say it's amazing the USA isn't a pariah state yet, but in light of other factors, not so much. I'm kind of expecting it to eventially fall over much like the soviet union or various other empires though... not conquered, but collapsing due to inturnal rot.
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Even if I try hard to see it from a corporate interest point, I cannot see the rational behind this since it can be turned against themself in a big way.
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Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you ...
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I'll let you extrapolate from there
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That's what Mike prays for everyday.
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Politician translation:
Latest TPP Leaks Reveal That US has global support In Its Desire To Push Through Corporate Exceptionalism
Rich people translation:
Woot! More money!
Normal people translation:
Rich people 8))))))))))D~ Politician
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I have a better idea: how about these crony capitalists, corporate sovereigntists, and IP maximalists form their own country and leave the rest of us alone? They're the only ones who unironically want such sweeping powers, and it's not like we're going to sit there, do nothing, and bend over for The Man anyway if/when it goes in effect.
The American public wants none of this, and neither does the rest of the world.
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1. Give in to the United States demands leading to a document hated by all but soon shot down in the political system.
2. Release the full TPPA document without the section covering copyright and patents when that may be passable.
3. Kick the United States out of the discussions then to spend the time needed to make TPPA more public friendly to then be celebrated as trade heroes.
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If they were really acting in the best interests of the public, they would have no problem making the texts public, the fact that they instead do everything they can to hide their activities can only mean that they are working against the public, and that should be completely unacceptable in any agreement between democratic countries.
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