Hello advocacy advisers,
Current drafts of the Trans Pacific Partnership[0], a new trade treaty currently being negotiated, contains language that would require countries that sign the treaty to extend the length of the minimum copyright term to life of the author plus 70 years. Global treaties currently require only life + 50 years, so the TPP would represent a widespread extension of copyright terms by 20 years, and make it hard to roll back the copyright term in countries that already have life + 70.
The letter below[1], addressed to the TPP negotiators, directly addresses this issue. We’re considering signing, because the letter is specifically targeted at an issue (copyright term) that is core to our encyclopedic mission, and affects (at present) 14 different countries.
Does the advisory group have any thoughts about joining the letter? We would like to let KEI know if we will join the letter before December 7, 2013.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Partnership ; http://tppinfo.org/
(We briefly mentioned TPP in the Wikilegal fact sheet on ACTA in January 2012. If anyone is interested in updating that document, feel free to get in touch! See: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikilegal/ACTA)
[1] http://keionline.org/nolifeplus70intpp
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The letter was prepared by Knowledge Ecology International, and will be joined by like-minded organizations including the Open Knowledge Foundation, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Free Software Foundation.
Full copy of the letter:
*Dear TPP negotiators,*
*In a December 7-10 meeting in Singapore you will be asked to endorse a binding obligation to grant copyright protection for 70 years after the death of an author. We urge you to reject the life+ 70 year term for copyright.*
*There is no benefit to society of extending copyright beyond the 50 years mandated by the WTO. While some TPP countries, like the USA, Mexico, Peru, Chile or Australia, already have life+ 70 (or longer) copyright terms, there is growing recognition that such terms were a mistake, and should be shortened, or modified by requiring formalities for the extended periods.*
*The primary harm from the life+ 70 copyright term is the loss of access to countless books, newspapers, pamphlets, photographs, films, sound recordings and other works that are “owned” but largely not commercialized, forgotten, and lost. The extended terms are also costly to consumers and performers, while benefiting persons and corporate owners that had nothing to do with the creation of the work.*
*Life+70 is a mistake, and it will be an embarrassment to enshrine this mistake into the largest regional trade agreement ever negotiated.*