TechDirt reports
The US Trade Representative's annual Special 301 Report repeatedly points out how other countries are "failing" US IP industries by not doing enough to prevent piracy. The "name and shame" approach hasn't done much to curb piracy, although it has generated a few pressure points to leverage during trade negotiations.
Countries appear to be tiring of the annual shaming. Michael Geist reports the Canadian government has issued a rebuttal ahead of this year's Special 301 hearing.
I recently obtained documents under the Access to Information Act that confirm the Canadian government's rejection of the Special 301 process. Canada will not bother appearing today largely because it rejects the entire process.
The two-page memorandum goes directly to the heart of the issue: despite Canada now having some of the world's toughest anti-piracy laws, the USTR continues to make the annual claim that the country could be doing so much more. The memo [PDF] puts it bluntly: the USTR represents no one but industry leaders.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Monday March 13 2017, @01:37PM (1 child)
Copyright infringement is a CIVIL problem. Joe Blow uses my stuff without permission, I take him to CIVIL court, and claim damages.
Hollywierd and the music industry have bribed boatloads of congress critters, along with law enforcement officials to do all their dirty work for them. And, in turn, the US expects countries around the world to do that same dirty work.
The movie and music industries should be serving us, the customers. Unfortunately, the industry expects the entire world to serve them, instead.
Wouldn't it be great if the US announced that it was withdrawing from that 301 BS? Let the industry executives handle that nonsense themselves. No more tax money, no more police time spent on enforcing their "intellectual rights".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 13 2017, @10:27PM
If USA hadn't exported the vast majority of its manufacturing base, it wouldn't be so intensely dependent on IP (imaginary property).
With the reemergence of Reactionary politics (Plantation Capitalism) and the rise of Neoliberalism (Republicanism-light), the merging of what had been tort law with criminal law was an obvious path.
Goddamn Jimmy Carter and his deregulatory "reforms", setting the agenda for every chief executive since and sending millions of USAian jobs offshore.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]