CAFTA Treaty Exports DMCA

PingXao writes "The BSA, RIAA and MPAA successfully lobbied the U.S. Congress to include DMCA-like provisions in the recently approved CAFTA treaty, according to CNet. Among other provisions, Chapter 15 of the treaty requires treaty signatories to allow software patents, extend Copyright protections to 70 years after the author's death, and make it illegal to produce 'circumvention devices' for protected works."

Re:Cue angry rants.

[Profane MuthaFucka]

Fuck y'all. I'm moving to a place where the people wrapping themselves in the flag aren't the same people who are holding a subpoena for all the books I read in the library. You go right ahead and keep vigil over your "freedom." What you are calling vigilance looks to me more like sitting shiva.

Run with this.

[955301]

How about we all get together and write an application which makes tracking bills and resolutions easy for the layman. You can pick and choose the ones you agree with and the app will create a report during election season sumarizing who to vote for based on your picks?

Instead of the crap the politicians are spewing.

Then it won't matter who belongs to what party.

Re:Central America: You're not alone

[Petrushka]

As an Australian IT professional, I'm well aware of the USA's tactics; it's political suicide for a foreign government to knock back a free trade agreement with such an august country as the US. So, the really nasty DMCA/IP laws get inserted into the country's laws as a predicate to signing the agreement.

Here in NZ, this catch -- and what a doozy of a catch -- appears to be one of the main motivators towards seeking an FTA with China instead of with the USA.

Well, in terms of morals and human rights, it's six of one and half a dozen of the other; so we might as well at least go for the option that allows us more autonomy, and halfway sensible copyright laws.

That would be China, by the way.