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
--
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.*
I think Wikimedia should sign it; as mentioned, the letter is targeted at the copyright term issue, which is well within our mission, without bringing in other issues that we may not share a position on.
-Kat
On Thu, Dec 5, 2013 at 2:56 PM, Stephen LaPorte slaporte@wikimedia.orgwrote:
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
--
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.*
-- Stephen LaPorte Legal Counsel Wikimedia Foundation
*This message might have confidential or legally privileged information in it. If you have received this message by accident, please delete it and let us know about the mistake. For legal reasons, I may only serve as an attorney for the Wikimedia Foundation. This means I may not give legal advice to or serve as a lawyer for community members, volunteers, or staff members in their personal capacity.*
Advocacy_Advisors mailing list Advocacy_Advisors@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/advocacy_advisors
Kat Walsh wrote:
I think Wikimedia should sign it; as mentioned, the letter is targeted at
the copyright term issue, which is well within our mission,
I agree.
without bringing in other issues that we may not share a position on.
Disagreement is an opportunity to increase accuracy. There is no way to even we know which issues we might not agree about unless we ask. The idea that foundation officials are proceeding under the assumption that there is potential widespread disagreement on some undisclosed set of topics without some transparent effort to measure the actuals is terrible compared to if there was an ongoing effort to map the boundary between too much and too little empowerment over time.
On Thu, Dec 5, 2013 at 2:56 PM, Stephen LaPorte slaporte@wikimedia.org
wrote:
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 ;
(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
--
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.
-- Stephen LaPorte Legal Counsel Wikimedia Foundation
This message might have confidential or legally privileged information
in it. If you have received this message by accident, please delete it and let us know about the mistake. For legal reasons, I may only serve as an attorney for the Wikimedia Foundation. This means I may not give legal advice to or serve as a lawyer for community members, volunteers, or staff members in their personal capacity.
Advocacy_Advisors mailing list Advocacy_Advisors@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/advocacy_advisors
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Advocacy_Advisors mailing list Advocacy_Advisors@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/advocacy_advisors
On 05/12/13 02:56 PM, Stephen LaPorte wrote:
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
--
I certainly believe the Foundation should join on this letter. The issue is specific and limited, and central to the Foundation's mission. Unlike the other three organizations mentioned, WMF is an NGO specifically involved in content creation and so may represent to the negotiators a different constituency.
Amgine
Thanks Stephen,
I agree with others that this is a good idea for the Wikimedia Foundation to sign it.
Individuals and other organisations can also sign it following instructions here:
http://keionline.org/nolifeplus70intpp
The tweet announcing it is here
https://twitter.com/jamie_love/status/408364405965873152
On Fri, Dec 6, 2013 at 5:56 AM, Stephen LaPorte slaporte@wikimedia.org wrote:
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
--
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.
-- Stephen LaPorte Legal Counsel Wikimedia Foundation
This message might have confidential or legally privileged information in it. If you have received this message by accident, please delete it and let us know about the mistake. For legal reasons, I may only serve as an attorney for the Wikimedia Foundation. This means I may not give legal advice to or serve as a lawyer for community members, volunteers, or staff members in their personal capacity.
Advocacy_Advisors mailing list Advocacy_Advisors@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/advocacy_advisors
Hi, all- Just a heads up- given the positive comments on this list, and internal approval, we told KEI a few minutes ago that WMF would sign on, and that is now reflected on the KEI website.
Thanks- Luis
On Thu, Dec 5, 2013 at 2:56 PM, Stephen LaPorte slaporte@wikimedia.orgwrote:
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
--
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.*
-- Stephen LaPorte Legal Counsel Wikimedia Foundation
*This message might have confidential or legally privileged information in it. If you have received this message by accident, please delete it and let us know about the mistake. For legal reasons, I may only serve as an attorney for the Wikimedia Foundation. This means I may not give legal advice to or serve as a lawyer for community members, volunteers, or staff members in their personal capacity.*
Advocacy_Advisors mailing list Advocacy_Advisors@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/advocacy_advisors
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