Tech Companies Criticize TPP Copyright Proposals, Reject TPA
The inclusion of strict copyright enforcement provisions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would threaten free speech online and U.S. innovation, by requiring providers to disclose personal information to authorities without privacy safeguards, said more than 25 technology companies in a…
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March 20 letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore. The companies voiced concerns with "opaque" trade negotiations and pushed Wyden not to move forward with Trade Promotion Authority legislation, also known as fast track, for TPP. Reddit, Imgur and Thoughtworks endorsed the letter along with other companies. “The trade negotiation process has been anything but transparent," it said. "Our industry, and the users that we serve, need to be at the table from the beginning to design policies that serve more than the narrow commercial interests of the few large corporations who have been invited to participate." Wyden should not pass "any version of fast track or trade promotion authority, or approve any mechanism that would facilitate the passage of trade agreements containing digital copyright enforcement provisions,” the letter said. Wyden has not taken a public position on Trade Promotion Authority since taking over the committee in February (see 14022001).