Posts Tagged ‘ESA’

Canada again? Really USTR?

I've got your 'Special 301' right here!

Today the United States Trade Representative released its annual ‘Special 301’ report. This is a report that basically says how bad other countries are and how they are being mean to the United States. What makes the whole ‘Special 301’ report pretty meaningless is that for years the USTR has listened only to the industries who are complaining about how mean other countries are to the wholesome US media conglomerates. The USTR has finally opened the doors to allow more access to them, but then they pretty much ignored everybody but the industry anyway. This includes the CCIA, which sent in its own report to the USTR saying how Canada should not be on the list. The CCIA includes such companies as Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, AMD, T-Mobile, ebay.

Canada, again, is on the ‘Priority Watch List’, which means that Canada has been a very bad boy indeed! Rampant piracy, loss of sales, children and dogs running amok! Oh the humanity!

Oh the humanity!

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Use open source software? You’re a pirate.

piratebaby

The Guardian reports that a US copyright lobby is trying to get the US Trade Representative (USTR) to include countries that use open source software to be included in the USTR’s Special 301 list. Countries like Indonesia,  Brazil, India, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. Why these countries? Because they have enacted legislation to have public entities switch over to open source software.

So who is this copyright lobby? The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), basically a front group for the RIAA, the MPAA and the ESA. The same ones behind every Three Strikes Law in various countries, the ones calling the shots over ACTA which is in secret talks and completely non-transparent to citizens of the countries this would effect. So basically the people with something to gain, which are exactly the wrong people who should be guiding these things.

These are also the same guys who applauded the fact they got Canada placed on this list, despite the fact that Canada complies with its international IP agreements and works with the US government on these issues. The CCIA, basically an industry heavy group with members like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, nvidea, AMD, ebay, etc, fully backs Canada and says Canada’s laws are fine. In fact Canada’s IP laws are in many ways more strict than US laws are.

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