Public Address | Cafe | Polity: TPP, eh?

David Hood

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 12:32:26 +1300

lets be clear, Trump scrapped it and announced that the US will do individual deals that are worse for small countries.

Katharine Moody

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 11:46:36 +1300

Ironic isn't it – Donald Trump saves us from the ultimate in American hegemony.

linger

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 08:58:34 +1300

If the drafters were in any way competent, such laws would be worded so as to come into effect only after the TPP, which would make them dead letters now anyway. But then again, why should we expect competence from these assclowns?

Alfie

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 08:15:45 +1300

Trump has chucked out the TPP. While the Nats are making desperate squeaky noises about trying to revive the deal with the other partners, so much of the document was written by and for the benefit of US corporates that the thing is basically dead in the water. That's a…

Sacha

Tue, 17 May 2016 18:05:44 +1200

Timmy reassures US pharma he has done their bidding.

New Zealand Ambassador Tim Groser said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch’s position on biologics in the TPP was “principled” but that the Utah Republican should not be worried about the level of protection the deal will provide for the new…

Alfie

Fri, 13 May 2016 12:12:16 +1200

While TPP discussion seems to have died down and none of the US Presidential candidates support it, our government is still proceeding down the path of handing over our sovereignty to kangaroo courts of US lawyers to the benefit of multi-national corporations.

Canadian professor Gus van Haarten is visiting NZ…

Steve Barnes

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 11:21:01 +1200

Govt unexpectedly posts 8-month surplus on increased tax take
Until you read the figures..
Income $48.1 Billion
Expenses $48.4 Billion
Er... that's a loss of $300 million......
But wait.... there's more...
Assets $275.3 Billion
Liabilities $188.3 Billion
Hey we're $87 Billion ahead..
Hang on... The operating balance…

Ian Dalziel

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 10:35:51 +1200

This surrendering of any pretence of due process can only lead to one conclusion. That the outcome has been predetermined.
Pushing things through 'under urgency' – it's the National way....

Sacha

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 09:57:29 +1200

The opposition members of the committee can write a minority report – and given the govt's behaviour on this they would be stupid not to.

Angela Hart

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 09:50:11 +1200

Does the committtee have no options? If I were a member I'd be considering walking out or resigning. Could the committee simply reject the new timeframe and refuse to put out a report until it had properly considered the submissions?

Alfie

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 09:30:14 +1200

Following the blanket secrecy which surrounded negotiations and the farce of those “public consultations” which effectively excluded anyone who opposed the TPP, the Nats have finally had enough and proffered two fingers to the democratic process.

The committee considering hundreds of public submissions had a stupidly tight four week schedule…

Ian Dalziel

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 17:57:41 +1300

the Saudis...
...were granted immunity from prosecution it seems !
Sept. 29, 2015 10:56 p.m. ET
A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed Saudi Arabia as a defendant in lawsuits brought by families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, saying the plaintiffs hadn’t presented sufficient evidence that Saudi Arabia…

Alfie

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 17:29:28 +1300

As the "TPPA Benefits" roadshow continues they're finding new and creative ways to effectively exclude the great unwashed.

Today's Invercargill performance was free to members of the Southland Chamber of Commerce, but the public had to pay $45 to attend the talk. Seriously? WTF?

Trade Minister Todd McClay __(twisted to…

Alfie

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 15:47:06 +1300

No need for evidence and that sort of thing – just failure to contest!!

Especially when most of the evidence so far points to the Saudis funding 9/11. But hey... they're on our side... sort of.. kinda... maybe.

Ian Dalziel

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 14:37:51 +1300

This is what passes for 'Justice' in the USA these days:
Iran was ordered by a U.S. judge to pay more than $10.5 billion in damages to families of people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and to a group of insurers.
U.S. District Judge George Daniels in…

Ian Dalziel

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 22:04:08 +1300

So what was the ratio of security to attendees at the various events?
Not to mention the undoubted crowd plants, spooks on roofs, snipers in trees and drone coverage...
:- )

kw

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 20:22:30 +1300

So what was the ratio of security to attendees at the various events?

Alfie

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 13:40:57 +1300

Equally disturbing is Josie's report that the military were heavily involved.

The guards asked for my ID, and whilst I was getting it out I noticed one of the guys had an army badge pinned to his lapel, I asked him if he was military and he confirmed that all…

Rob Stowell

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 12:37:53 +1300

Lots of security. I’m hearing some of the MFAT team looked decidedly uncomfortable. I think they were fearing something more than a nurse with a pink thing …
https://youtu.be/fgnCC37YXeQ
Or maybe just scared of looking like dorks?

izogi

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 11:08:35 +1300

Photo ID required to listen to Plunker and his team emit government spin? No thanks.

If I interpreted it correctly (can anyone confirm?), then I found Josie Butler's account of photographs being taken of attendees even more disturbing. Surely security cameras would be enough in the modern world of paranoia…

Alfie

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 10:01:22 +1300

The Dunedin TPP.. ra..ra..ra meeting was held yesterday. Unlike Jane Kelsey's meeting last month which overflowed the hall, this one only attracted "dozens" of people.
As Mr Walker was welcomed to speak by moderator and right-wing pundit Sean Plunket, TPP protester Rosemary Penwarden played circus music and began chanting ‘‘This…

Ian Dalziel

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 07:22:51 +1300

aaah so that's Auckland sorted and informed then.

Sacha

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 07:07:31 +1300

Not sure if Auckland has had their one

Oh yes. Where do you think they got their over-the-top security ideas from?

Ian Dalziel

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 06:26:19 +1300

TPPA Roadshow-of-strength on now...
MFAT is on the road selling the unsellable – there was one in Chchch on March 11 – did anyone at the Press report on it? Not that I can find – only Chris Trotter seems to have noted it and attempts to link…

Rob Stowell

Sun, 28 Feb 2016 20:40:36 +1300

Sorry. An impulsive post that apparently I shouldn’t have :( Not completely pointless but a fool stop.

Ian Dalziel

Sun, 28 Feb 2016 06:48:28 +1300

.
Oops. (Not announced yet)
I can still see the 'point' (.) of it though.!
:- )

Rob Stowell

Sun, 28 Feb 2016 00:21:31 +1300

Oops. (Not announced yet)

Rob Stowell

Sun, 28 Feb 2016 00:20:18 +1300

Sacha

Sat, 27 Feb 2016 22:32:55 +1300

corrupt misogynist strongman

2 out of 3 aint bad

Paul Campbell

Sat, 27 Feb 2016 21:21:53 +1300

Boing-boing also reports on "corrupt misogynist strongman John Key" ...... "I'll stay in TPP's economic suicide-pact even if the USA pulls out"

David Hood

Fri, 26 Feb 2016 18:16:43 +1300

It's a world of laughter, a world of fears....

https://boingboing.net/2016/02/25/disney-offers-to-deduct-contri.html

Alfie

Sun, 14 Feb 2016 17:08:58 +1300

Mr Key said...it was from a small group of individuals..
The Herald has a video online which gives the impression that the group of individuals may have been a little larger than Key suggests.

Alfie

Sun, 14 Feb 2016 16:50:58 +1300

John Key booed off stage at Big Gay Out
And he was glitterbombed at the event. But I doubt the message is getting through to him.

Steve Barnes

Sun, 14 Feb 2016 16:18:48 +1300

John Key booed off stage at Big Gay Out
Donned in a pink polo shirt, Mr Key took to the stage alongside National MPs Nikki Kaye and Maggie Barry. But a group of about 30 protesters clutching banners and shouting anti-TPPA slogans drowned out his short speech, and…

Rosemary McDonald

Thu, 11 Feb 2016 07:15:49 +1300

It's Our Future have put out a new bulletin to those on the mailing list.

For those who follow interweb trends

First, top related queries were “what is tppa”, “tppa facts”, etc. This implies that the people doing most of the searching don’t know much about the TPPA (and that…

Alfie

Wed, 10 Feb 2016 21:50:11 +1300

An open letter to TPP protesters from Steven Dildo Joyce

All protesters are anti-trade... ISDR more helpful than hindrance "... trust us... blah... blah... blah.

Alfie

Tue, 09 Feb 2016 18:07:47 +1300

Despite the Key-friendly journos portraying the thousands of people who took part in the Auckland TPPA protest as just the usual bunch of losers, not all media are blindly promoting the government line.

Respected business journalist Rod Oram has consistently provided detailed commentary and analysis. Likewise, John Campbell on RNZ is…

Sofie Bribiesca

Mon, 08 Feb 2016 12:20:39 +1300

Smoke and mirrors is National Inc's motto. NZ is john Key's plaything.
So because NZ has done exactly what was the GFC after the GFC, we should be just fine. Err ok.
The government's full derivative exposure is now massive at 90 per cent of GDP
How is that a…

Ian Dalziel

Mon, 08 Feb 2016 09:53:25 +1300

Public finance and national economic policy do seem the black arts of modern life. And in fact the experts say New Zealand is riding a wave of changing practice that is far more radical than most people understand.

Former Canterbury University accountancy lecturer Dr Susan Newberry, now professor of accounting…

Rosemary McDonald

Mon, 08 Feb 2016 08:11:56 +1300

What MSM overlooked was the fact that we wabble wowsers also had to get into the central city by 9 am for the first march, and by midday for the second.

There was also a bus strike to contend with. Listening to bulletins on Natrad, we were fairly sure we…

izogi

Mon, 08 Feb 2016 07:59:30 +1300

I caught the end of some bloke reporter on Story trying to pretend he was a protestor and basically lampooning everybody – very unedifying non-reporting, patronising prick ruminated on how people were just confused and angry.

I saw that too, afterwards. On Friday [[http://www.newshub.co.nz/opinion/opinion-the-tppa-protests-were-deeply-ill-informed-2016020510#axzz3zVfQ7blY|Julian Lee (the Story guy) then wrote…

Ian Dalziel

Mon, 08 Feb 2016 07:21:41 +1300

Kali yuga continues...
Just wondering, on this first Mondayised Waitangi Day-off (thank you Labour), whether the day the TPP was signed will also become a National holiday – marking as a it does (yet again) the day those in charge sold future generations into penury and litigation without end.

Ian Dalziel

Mon, 08 Feb 2016 07:17:24 +1300

a confederacy of dunces...
and yet MSM just mocks dissenters as idiots instead of focusing on why this might actually be happening.
I caught the end of some bloke reporter on Story trying to pretend he was a protestor and basically lampooning everybody – very unedifying non-reporting, patronising prick ruminated…

Kumara Republic

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 23:56:16 +1300

Really it hasn’t been so much the prevailing MSM opinions on this which grate with me most, but that many high profile media commentators have shown a complete disrespect in reporting a protest movement that’s one of the largest for a long time. It’s much much bigger and more diverse…

izogi

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 22:15:35 +1300

Then Heather du Plessis-Allan uses her NZME platform to reinforce the line put forward by Key that the thousands of people who marched through Auckland this week didn’t know why they were there.

Also Steve:
She seems to want to blame the protesters for inconveniencing those poor motorists trying to…

Rosemary McDonald

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 13:19:07 +1300

Love to take the credit, but it was extracted (with some effort) from the itsourfuture website.

It was maybe the only aspect that the team at 'itsourfuture' could have done better.

Disseminating the information they had extracted from the available text more widely.

Steve Barnes

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 12:53:47 +1300

I would have thought that Heather Du Plessis-Allan, as a South African, would have been a bit more savvy about the meanings of protest. Or not, I mean why did she leave? Fear of those nasty black people?
She seems to want to blame the protesters for inconveniencing those poor…

Rosemary McDonald

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 12:13:35 +1300

the people who take to the streets mostly don’t look like terminal acne cases

No, but some of us did have near terminal cases of sunburn.

What we observed on Thursday in Auckland was a very large group of New Zealanders...about 50/50 split Maori and European...gathered together to fight for…

Joe Wylie

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 10:47:05 +1300

It's easy to get the impression that this is another of those NZME paid campaigns, such as their recent multi-platform flag promotion paid for by taxpayers.
Portraying people who've exercised the courage of their convictions as a bunch of gormless dupes may be a tired old song, but they'll roll…

Hilary Stace

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 10:40:34 +1300

In 1981 there were the same lines. There was fury when a Wellington march blocked the motorway – just one of many such 'inconveniences'. The media (which seemed 100% opposed to the protests) often said that the protesters did not understand the issues and after all it was about another…

Alfie

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 10:11:40 +1300

The Herald is running the government spin line on the TTPA.

It starts with an editorial suggesting Maori are misinformed in their opposition to the agreement. Then Heather du Plessis-Allan uses her NZME platform to reinforce the line put forward by Key that the thousands of people who marched through Auckland this…

Sofie Bribiesca

Sat, 06 Feb 2016 19:01:51 +1300

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8taG38o_bo

Lori Wallach helped explain a few details that benefit the U.S. Worth a listen imo. Prof Kelsey follows if anyone is interested. Auckland town hall 26th Jan ’16

Sacha

Sat, 06 Feb 2016 18:41:11 +1300

ExportNZ provides a great example of the one-sidedness our business cheerleaders have exhibited:

All this is very good news for the New Zealand economy because Maori do not tend to sell their assets – they re-invest for future generations. This will mean in the future they are our globally competitive…

Sofie Bribiesca

Sat, 06 Feb 2016 16:14:50 +1300

Wandering around Scoop, I noticed this pic

Great work by Action Station

Sofie Bribiesca

Sat, 06 Feb 2016 15:41:25 +1300

Over at Scoop Annette King emphasises again the lack of transparency with TPPA

Alfie

Sat, 06 Feb 2016 13:23:23 +1300

Here’s some refreshing news about the TTIP – the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership currently being negotiated between the US and the EU. It’s another of those free trade deals designed primarily to benefit large corporates at the expense of nation states.

The TTIP is pretty similar to the TTPA…

Joe Wylie

Fri, 29 Jan 2016 09:24:30 +1300

Labour leader Andrew Little would not outline possible sanctions or comment on whether Mr Shearer could be stripped of his foreign affairs portfolio.
Tarring & feathering would be a good start.

Ian Dalziel

Fri, 29 Jan 2016 02:03:22 +1300

I wonder how many protesters are likely to fess up about that semtex packed drone hidden in the garden shed.
Don’t be saying that, not even in jest – some idiot out there will be prepared to believe you…
I recall prior to rugger world cup the police called on…

Alfie

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 18:07:55 +1300

This is getting weird. Apparently Police have been visiting anti-TPP activists at their homes, asking about future protest plans. I wonder how many protesters are likely to fess up about that semtex packed drone hidden in the garden shed.

Hey... I remember a time when NZ was still a democracy.

izogi

Thu, 21 Jan 2016 11:38:17 +1300

In the news today, from the Sustainability Council via RadioNZ:

He said while there were provisions that protected governments from being sued for acting to reduce smoking, there were no similar protections for acting to protect the environment or tackle climate change.

That risk of being sued, according to Mr…

Ian Dalziel

Wed, 20 Jan 2016 06:20:00 +1300

Save City Care
Keep Our Assets Picket
at Christchurch City Council Building,
Worcester Boulevard Entrance,
This Wednesday, January 20th, 12 noon -1.30 p.m.
Today!

Alfie

Mon, 18 Jan 2016 10:08:09 +1300

Body cartoon — the Herald.

Alfie

Thu, 14 Jan 2016 16:43:09 +1300

The TPP agreement is due to be signed in little ol’ New Zealand on 4th February. Jane Kelsey condemns government secrecy over when and where this will happen and points to a number of investor-state claims taking place under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Brian Gould writes the [[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11573810|TPP signing a…

Rosemary McDonald

Mon, 09 Nov 2015 12:26:31 +1300

And this....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEi4ZqruX6Q

Alfie

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 14:42:57 +1300

The text of the TPPA has finally been released, albeit as a large series of PDFs. Scroll to the bottom of that page to grab them all in one handy zip file.

Of course most of the text is meaningless without the background docs. Could someone remind me why they…

chris

Sun, 18 Oct 2015 16:42:14 +1300

He was basically saying that democracy is a bit of a giggle

To be fair I did enjoy his 24th September piece on the flip- flopping of the other major New Zealand political party.

Rosemary McDonald

Fri, 16 Oct 2015 09:09:54 +1300

Eh?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11529598

The head of New Zealand's branch of the US Pentagon's missile and fighter jet manufacturer is coming to Whangarei to help Northland companies arm themselves with information to win lucrative contracts with international governments.

Graham Lintott, former Air Vice-Marshal with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), is…

chris

Thu, 15 Oct 2015 20:36:32 +1300

Sounds like a long term project.

Labour's support is not a done deal. Mr Little still has qualms about the legislation's provision for 48-hour warrant-less surveillance, and its provision for cancelling passports for up to three years (compared to the current 12 months). But commentator Bryce Edwards says he expects…

Sacha

Thu, 15 Oct 2015 19:54:31 +1300

it is when said party is trying to recover from an overdose of incompetence.

Sacha

Thu, 15 Oct 2015 19:53:33 +1300

Honestly, they seem determined to portray themselves as a bunch of headless chooks lately.

lately, in geological terms

chris

Thu, 15 Oct 2015 19:42:02 +1300

Bryce Edwards’ political roundup today is…

The only surprising thing about this for me is that a lecturer in Politics who teaches and researches New Zealand public policy, political parties, elections, and political communication still feels that the flip- flopping of major New Zealand political parties is that newsworthy.

And…

Sacha

Thu, 15 Oct 2015 19:07:35 +1300

Run DMCA

zing
#onya

Alfie

Thu, 15 Oct 2015 16:34:15 +1300

Do we have an upper limit on how much a Govt can borrow on our behalf?
I think it's pretty much an open chequebook as far as the Key government in concerned. And for them it won't be a problem, as long as they can keep the figures hidden discreetly…

Ian Dalziel

Thu, 15 Oct 2015 08:28:45 +1300

Well if we are stuck with it,
this ‘Trade Deal’ better work,
The NZ National Debt Clock
clicked over beyond $100 billion overnight

Do we have an upper limit on how much a Govt can borrow on our behalf?

Ian Dalziel

Wed, 14 Oct 2015 17:29:38 +1300

Walk this way...
US laws by proxy

It's like that,
it's tricky

Alfie

Wed, 14 Oct 2015 17:01:38 +1300

Pat Pilcher has a summary of how the TPP will affect copyright and in particular, how America's DMCA might be applied here.

The leaked chapter also includes a proposal of how internet service providers (ISPs) are to deal with copyright infringement and could require that New Zealand adopt laws similar…

izogi

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 17:45:04 +1300

I think any saving of New Zealand by US legislations would be purely coincidental.

If they can find a way to get what they want yet still keep a foot on everyone else's throat, it shouldn't come without expectation.

Ian Dalziel

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 17:09:08 +1300

is it a bird? is it a plane?...
Looks to me that only the US legislators can save us from this type of multi-national corporate rule now.
And isn’t that a scary sentence to contemplate?
Kinda like that scene in Griffith's movie Birth of a Nation when the whole movie…

izogi

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 17:07:22 +1300

I can’t see the Key government losing too much sleep over that. To them the OIA seems to be a method of concealing information, rather than honouring it’s intended purpose.

At the very least, it was good to hear the PM on the 5pm RNZ news bulletin just now indicating…

Stephen R

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 16:51:06 +1300

Looks to me that only the US legislators can save us from this type of multi-national corporate rule now.

And isn't that a scary sentence to contemplate?

Katharine Moody

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 15:28:35 +1300

surely not, from those guys? #gasp

Yeah, it seems between the two articles I read that Andrew's tone changed from defiant to defeatist after his one-on-one with Groser. Makes you wonder just how much of the dirty politics played by the multi-nationals during the negotiations was disclosed to Andrew. In…

Katharine Moody

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 15:18:17 +1300

To them the OIA seems to be a method of concealing information, rather than honouring it’s intended purpose.

Yes, I had high hopes when the Ombudsman announced a comprehensive review in light of information emerging during the election, but the scope of the review project didn't excite me;

http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/system/paperclip/document_files/document_files/991/original/oia_review_project_summary.pdf?1432880957

given…

Sacha

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 14:53:16 +1300

Badly framed

surely not, from those guys? #gasp

Alfie

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 14:16:29 +1300

Prof Jane Kelsey appears to have won a minor victory with her High Court TPP challenge to Tim Grosser. Here’s her take in the Herald.
The High Court’s decision today that Trade Minister Groser acted unlawfully in refusing to release any information to me under the Official Information Act should act…

Rob Stowell

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 13:45:50 +1300

Yes, feels like they couldn’t frame Roger Rabbit :(
RNZ leading? their bulletin and repeating inside ‘Labour *supports* the TPP despite … ’ I listened carefully, and didn’t hear Little say ‘support’ even once. He just said they were unlikely to pull out.

Alfie

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 11:48:12 +1300

Followed up with a taunt from Key to keep Labour in their place.
Prime Minister John Key says he would prefer for Labour to support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPPA), given the two parties have been "locked at the hip historically when it comes to trade deals".

"In the end if…

Katharine Moody

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 11:32:21 +1300

Latest from Andrew Little;

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/72953458/labour-unlikely-to-withdraw-from-tppa-trade-deal-if-in-govt--andrew-little

Badly framed – sounds defeatist as opposed to defiant.

Paul Campbell

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 17:32:25 +1300

I wonder if it works the other way ......

I do love the words in and around copy protection, I'd like to note that an "effective technological measure that controls access to a protected work" is not one that can be broken .... seems to me that anyone who finds…

Sacha

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 16:35:40 +1300

Apparently not, though it's because of the cunning way our law against them was implemented rather than any negotiating chops.

Paul Campbell

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 15:56:12 +1300

I skimmed the wikileaks copy but didn’t find what I was looking for, anyone know if we’re going to get software patents forced on us?

Kumara Republic

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 12:53:08 +1300

Oh and I’ve written my little rant under that RNZ article about why the family farm analogy doesn’t add up, at least in my own view.

I've added my bit.

Sacha

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:52:55 +1300

just a 12-way handshake :)

Sofie Bribiesca

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:26:07 +1300

What’s interesting there is that NZ has apparently ceded subpoena rights to foreign courts

So FBI can come and arrest DotCom without incident. How the fuck is any of this good for NZ? What will we have left? As someone wrote, once you cede any thing ,very rarely can you…

Paul Campbell

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 10:36:34 +1300

What's interesting there is that NZ has apparently ceded subpoena rights to foreign courts

Also interesting over the weekend was Grosser admitting that there is no treaty document at this time, who knows what it was that he signed.

Alfie

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 09:45:28 +1300

Wikileaks has released the final negotiated text for the TPP intellectual property rights chapter.

izogi

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 08:50:29 +1300

Gareth Hughes was speaking on Morning Report this morning. He sounded very tired for the whole interview.

Joe Wylie

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 22:06:36 +1300

I haven’t seen the book but unless all jokes were shown to have been published more than 50 years earlier, can anyone see a way by which the publisher could have deemed it legal to publish at all? I can’t see how Fair Dealing would apply.

My only beef at…

izogi

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 22:00:00 +1300

people pass their farms to their kids

Oh and I’ve written my little rant under that RNZ article about why the family farm analogy doesn’t add up, at least in my own view.

izogi

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 21:41:14 +1300

Really? If true it seems to touch on one of the existing issues with copyright generally – trying to track down owners who are completely unknown or cannot be found.

Browsing the NZ Copyright Act, [[http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1994/0143/latest/whole.html#DLM345932|22(3) seems to deal with “unknown authorship” by setting the out-of-copyright date at 50 years…

Sacha

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 21:39:50 +1300

EFF's analysis in more detail via Reddit.

Bruce Ward

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 21:28:07 +1300

Thanks for that link David. A very interesting and concerning analysis.

Joe Wylie

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 20:42:23 +1300

John Barnett of South Pacific Pictures has been on a soap-box in the last few days, arguing the same-old “why shouldn’t they be paid for an extra 20 years??” line.

Presumably the same Barnett who was involved as an editor in compiling a pair of "NZ jokes" collections for Penguin.…

izogi

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 19:14:17 +1300

John Barnett of South Pacific Pictures has been on a soap-box in the last few days, arguing the same-old “why shouldn’t they be paid for an extra 20 years??” line. Invoking Shortland Street, Sione’s Wedding, Whale Rider, Footrot Flats, and so on. There’s a similar line [[http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/286273/who-wins-from-tpp’s-copyright-rules|from Mike Sayes of…

Sacha

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 17:13:03 +1300

David Farrar offers a (non-ranting) insider account of how some NZ organisations lobbied against the worst proposals in the IP chapter of the TPP. I still wouldn't read the comments.

Kumara Republic

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 16:45:18 +1300

Now that Slater is toxic, Hooton is the last working channel for injecting noise. See, here we have a Stuff story about a claim by Hooton that a claim was made by unnamed insiders. There is no news value and no evidence. Ask yourself, how much trust you would like…

David Hood

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 14:09:47 +1300

Yay, life plus 70 years.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/07/the-hole-in-our-collective-memory-how-copyright-made-mid-century-books-vanish/278209/

Joe Wylie

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 13:52:17 +1300

Ask yourself, how much trust you would like to place in Hooton.

Be gentle with Hooton, he's easily confused:
"there is a great story about Mandela wanting a flash suit in which to leave prison, in order to send an important political message to the financial markets, the military and…

Stephen Judd

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 13:18:47 +1300

Matthew Hooton just stirring things up

Sacha

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 12:33:32 +1300

Jane Kelsey reflects.

Sacha

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 11:59:28 +1300

Rod Oram's analysis.

Bruce Ward

Sat, 10 Oct 2015 20:49:34 +1300

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have commentary on the leaked IP chapter of the TPP. It seems rather one sided to them.

Sacha

Sat, 10 Oct 2015 18:00:49 +1300

He is merely listing the right of Labour's caucus.

tussock

Sat, 10 Oct 2015 00:34:05 +1300

Yay, life plus 70 years.

Because it's super-important that people who died in the 1950s can have some shitty heartless multinational wreck your creative works by claiming you've violated their copyright (you know, because you can sort of make out a radio playing in that house they walk past for…

Alfie

Fri, 09 Oct 2015 19:05:06 +1300

Is Matthew Hooton just stirring things up here? Or do several prominent Labour MPs actually support the TPPA?
He said he had been told Phil Goff, David Shearer, Stuart Nash, Kelvin Davis, Peeni Henare, Clayton Cosgrove, Damien O'Connor, and Rino Tirikatene would all potentially vote with the Government and against…

SteveH

Fri, 09 Oct 2015 16:39:39 +1300

Aren’t we allowed to make any distinction at all between citizens and non-residents? If we can tax them – as the government has suggested – how is that any different?

My understanding is that the TPPA similar existing agreements (notably the China FTA via the Korea FTA) require us to…

Steve Barnes

Fri, 09 Oct 2015 11:16:06 +1300

.but anyone from a TPPA country can buy such homes “without restriction” – whatever that means – provided they are resident in NZ. I don’t see the residency requirement as discriminatory or restrictive.

Having to be a resident would be a restriction, however, the new rules state…
- A New…

Steve Withers

Fri, 09 Oct 2015 10:37:04 +1300

I think it might be within the letter of the TPPA to require the buyers of homes to be resident in NZ.....but anyone from a TPPA country can buy such homes "without restriction" – whatever that means – provided they are resident in NZ. I don't see the residency requirement…

Alfie

Fri, 09 Oct 2015 10:35:23 +1300

A little more TPPA info dribbles out.
According to documents released on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website late Thursday afternoon, medicine safety regulator Medsafe must notify a drug company if a generic version of their product has been submitted for approval.

"New Zealand will also need to ensure there…

Matthew Poole

Fri, 09 Oct 2015 09:13:59 +1300

Why leap over there just as the TPP was announced

Quite possibly because the visit schedule was laid down several months ago? You know, just to point out the bloody obvious. Heads-of-government don't just trot off to visit active conflict zones on a whim. Even a fortnight ago nobody knew…

Ian Dalziel

Fri, 09 Oct 2015 09:09:07 +1300

This was just a Key/Bush copycat visit to troops for a fucking photo op.

Did any one else also notice in most of the pictures of John Key in Iraq that there were plenty of Kiwi symbols and NZ flags – Key had to take one right under the chin…

Sofie Bribiesca

Fri, 09 Oct 2015 08:45:51 +1300

It doesn’t bother me that it’s kept “secret” for legitimate security reasons, it just irritates that journalists act like nobody else could possibly have figured it out.

If it was so bloody dangerous why show up with an entourage of Media at all?. Patrick Gower forgot his passport, must have…

simon g

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 23:47:17 +1300

the right to tick off the boxes on the CV about wearing body armour and reporting in a war zone.

I think that's exactly what it is. About once a year the political journos get to do the things they see in movies (reporting from the White House or a…

izogi

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 23:33:13 +1300

Political journalists hijacked for a trip to Iraq?

I’d never say the party strategists didn’t delight in the thought of a distraction, but I think that had plenty of political value all by itself. It looked more to be about getting glowing excited reports on government policy in exchange for…

Sacha

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 20:47:54 +1300

The externalities we’re putting up with in polluted water, as dairy intensifies

and which corrupted regional regulators can just ignore. Arseholes.

Henry Barnard

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 20:02:49 +1300

Deafening silence on TV ONE and TV3 news bulletins on Hillary Clinton's comments about the TPPA. Putin's success at Ice Hockey far more important! I really hate conspiracy theories but am beginning to wonder. Political journalists hijacked for a trip to Iraq?

This really only leaves Jeb Bush out front…

Steve Barnes

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 19:48:53 +1300

Just stumbled upon this…
Even the Americans were against the TPPA

Steve Barnes

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 19:43:45 +1300

From Joe’s link…
National has created the menacing-sounding role of “political correctness eradicator” to counter the Government’s “PC” culture that it says is eroding New Zealanders’ rights and freedoms.
Which particular New Zealanders would they be I wonder?.
The ones described as “Prominent New Zealanders”? some even with permanent name…

Joe Wylie

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 18:45:27 +1300

It is interesting to note that, on the same day, Wayne Mapp says

Brash's former "political correctness eradicator" isn't about to break his streak of being on the wrong side of history any time soon.

Steve Barnes

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 18:37:40 +1300

Sure, some of the benefit gets spread around but part of it is also subsidising private gain.

I have looked at all the, available, stuff so far and have a little extra to add to Izogi’s last point and that is…
It is a big win for the middlemen.
The…

Alfie

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 18:03:10 +1300

It looks like Hillary Clinton has flip-flopped on the TPPA and will no longer support Obama's trade agreement.
Her reversal could complicate the path to final ratification in Congress for a trade pact that President Obama has called central to cementing his domestic economic agenda and foreign policy strategy in…

Katharine Moody

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 17:15:54 +1300

Yes, can't wait to see how our executive branch tries to spin that one. Why in the world did Obama push it like he did – I'd have thought an agreement which the public perceives to favour the worst of their own corporate lobbyists would be the last sort of…

Henry Barnard

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 16:01:51 +1300

Hillary Clinton on the TPP

It is interesting to note that, on the same day, Wayne Mapp says The US legislators will also know that TPP is about US leadership in the Asia Pacific. Failure to ratify would be tantamount to abandonment of any such ambitions. And any presidential contender…

izogi

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 13:32:04 +1300

And we don’t? A quick check of a couple of Canadian supermarkets with on-line sales show their retail prices for milk and eggs being lower than in NZ.

I’d be prepared to believe that NZ pays more than other places, but if Canadian and US farmers are being heavily subsidised…

Gabor Toth

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 13:07:48 +1300

"Canada did OK by continuing to protect dairy / poultry,"

The small fraction of Canada that work in the dairy or poultry industry did ok. The other 99.9%, lost out by continuing to overpay for food.

And we don't? A quick check of a couple of Canadian supermarkets with on-line…

Matthew Poole

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 08:38:45 +1300

What are the chances of Philip Morris winning? They have already lost Round 1 in the Australian courts. “Clearly, the High Court has decided that there hasn’t been an acquisition of property and so the claims by the tobacco industry that Governments are seizing its property are simply untrue.”

I…

Katharine Moody

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 22:49:11 +1300

Best post-deal commentary I've read so far. Sums it up in a nutshell.

Craig Young

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 18:48:36 +1300

Ah-here's the reference to Pharmac's pharmacoeconomic analysis framework I was talking about. Take a look at it and assess the implications for pharmaceutical policy, scope and scale of access yourselves:

https://www.pharmac.health.nz/assets/pfpa-final.pdf

chris

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 18:41:28 +1300

KPMG report (PDF).

chris

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 17:21:00 +1300

Meanwhile, consumption of cigarettes has dropped significantly in Australia since the introduction of plain packaging.

Legal sales of cigarettes have dropped...

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smoking-taxes-make-cigarette-smuggling-an-increasingly-attractive-option-20150515-gh31ch.html

izogi

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 16:57:31 +1300

Such small gains as have been secured are so insignificant that Tim Groser, the Trade Minister, could not even remember what they were.

To look at it the Helen Clark way, would New Zealand have lost anything over what it already had, or maybe future trade-building opportunities, through not signing…

Sofie Bribiesca

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 16:40:41 +1300

all-too compliant mainstream media.

They are too busy on secret Johnny (aka George Bush) visiting the boys in beige brigade in Iraq. So dangerous some had flack Jackets

Alfie

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 16:28:48 +1300

Bryan Gould has a good analysis of what the TPP means for New Zealand. In short, bugger all.
Such small gains as have been secured are so insignificant that Tim Groser, the Trade Minister, could not even remember what they were. The best he could come up with was a small…

Ross Francis

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 14:51:04 +1300

What are the chances of Philip Morris winning? They have already lost Round 1 in the Australian courts. "Clearly, the High Court has decided that there hasn't been an acquisition of property and so the claims by the tobacco industry that Governments are seizing its property are simply untrue."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-15/high-court-rules-in-favour-of--plain-packaging-laws/4199768…

Simon Grigg

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 14:48:21 +1300

Pulling stuff back out of the public domain would be hugely problematic, starting with the question of who’s got copyright on previously-legitimate “unauthorised” derivative works made once PD applied.

Yep. Plus the fact that vast amounts of legitimately released music on vinyl, CD, Spotify and iTunes will become pirate. As…

Stephen Judd

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 14:17:26 +1300

is it also okay to remove real (land, buildings etc) property that people have inherited after a certain period of time

Isn't that akin to what happens in jurisdictions with death duties, land taxes, asset taxes, and the like? Or compulsory acquisition? Or in jurisdictions where the state owns all…

Matthew Poole

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 14:07:39 +1300

Have I missed something, then?

No you haven’t – unless I have too. I can find nothing in that document that supports retroactive removal from PD.

I'm another one who cannot derive BoingBoing's interpretation from the source document cited.
Pulling stuff back out of the public domain would be hugely…

Russell Brown

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 13:39:52 +1300

Weird headline alert: Trans-Pacific Partnership accord’s copyright details leaked on Ars Technica.

You know, I don't think a backgrounder published by the New Zealand government really counts as a "leak".

Keir Leslie

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 13:17:45 +1300

I think the analogies with real property are a bit misleading because there's very different taxation and policy considerations involved there. (Although cf the prohibition on perpetuities, and death duties.)

It's better – I think – to analogise copyrights to a weird bond with a variable term and variable interest.…

Simon Grigg

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 12:22:30 +1300

Have I missed something, then?

No you haven’t – unless I have too. I can find nothing in that document that supports retroactive removal from PD. And I’ve just been speaking with someone who I think would know and the one word response was “no”.

Given the drive to get…

izogi

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 12:13:55 +1300

Have I missed something, then? Apart from some random person asserting this on BoingBoing, where does the cited NZ government Q&A document actually say or even imply that copyright will be extended backwards over existing public domain works?

Simon Grigg

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 12:08:16 +1300

According to the bulletin, the TPP signatories will have to retroactively extend their copyright terms, giving longer copyrights to works that were created before the agreement was struck, and taking works out of the public domain and putting them back into copyright’s restrictions.

Wow – that’s something more than was…

Matthew Poole

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 11:33:24 +1300

It's a real shame the blunt instrument of a 70-year term has got through

But, hey, at least Eleanor Catton's(notional) great-grandchildren* will finally get to make derivative copies of The Luminaries without recourse to the rights-holder!
Remember: it's death-plus-70 years, not just 70 years.

* assuming average lifespans all round,…

Rob S

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 11:16:18 +1300

Has copyright overreached in its extension?
All the time it seems to be easier to pirate art via the internet and with a younger generation believing it has a right to access material will the copyright holders be swamped with takedown actions and the like?
I would like to see…

izogi

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 11:13:22 +1300

BoingBoing:
and taking works out of the public domain and putting them back into copyright’s restrictions

I’m confused how the BB write-up reached that conclusion. I’ve skimmed the linked NZ government PDF, but even when reading the direct passage they’ve quoted I can’t see which part states that existing public…

Jason Kemp

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 10:38:59 +1300

Apparently NZ govt has leaked – this > NZ government leaks on TPP: copyright terms will go to life plus 70 years

According to the bulletin, the TPP signatories will have to retroactively extend their copyright terms, giving longer copyrights to works that were created before the agreement was struck,…

Alfie

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 09:58:34 +1300

Juha Saarinen brings up an unexpected consequence of the TPP which once again favours international sellers.

The TPP also "preserves the free international movement of data", which the USTR tied up with individuals and families being able to do their online shopping "at low cost" among other things.

That sounds like…

Sacha

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 09:46:54 +1300

Informed chat on RNZ (14 mins) by a university librarian and the InternetNZ head honcho Jordan Carter about potential impacts of TPP on IP.

Bart Janssen

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 09:23:38 +1300

Honestly, I don’t see much reason why your family should continue to benefit from your creation 50 or 70 years after you die.

I have mixed feelings about this, I see your point but I'm also conscious that for a number of enormously talented creative people their talent was only…

izogi

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 08:08:08 +1300

It varies from country to country

Thanks for that, and I appreciate that copyright has a diverse history. Is anyone aware of a proper description of the reasoning behind NZ's copyright law? I've been trying to find some kind of official explanation since this discussion began, and while [[http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1994/0143/latest/whole.html|the Copyright…

Kumara Republic

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 01:24:52 +1300

“Canada did OK by continuing to protect dairy / poultry,”

The small fraction of Canada that work in the dairy or poultry industry did ok. The other 99.9%, lost out by continuing to overpay for food. In particular the poor are most affected.

Funny thing is, those we’d expect to…

Paul Campbell

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 00:06:02 +1300

As mentioned above copyright is an artificial scarcity created by the state .. It encourages people to create new works, the trade off is that eventually the work ends up belonging to the public.

The problem with these long copyright extensions is that the dates that things join the public…

Simon Grigg

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 23:38:43 +1300

One thing I find irritating is that copyright terms, and their extensions, all seem to be automatic and across the board, even when copyright owners have no interest or little incentive to bother going through the administration of making them available.

It varies from country to country – in Europe…

Simon Grigg

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 23:31:30 +1300

It’s 50 (soon 70) years after death of the creator. No one will lose any potential income during their life time either way. Honestly, I don’t see much reason why your family should continue to benefit from your creation 50 or 70 years after you die.

As Martin and and…

izogi

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 22:33:06 +1300

Hello.

But if it creates a revenue stream for them, then removing copyright restrictions also removes a tangible benefit for them.

Yes but that benefit only exists because the scarcity was artificially created by copyright law temporarily making it illegal for people to say stuff simply because someone else said…

Katharine Moody

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 22:24:58 +1300

Indeed, for Canada – a win for political protectionism;

https://news.vice.com/article/canadas-dairy-cartel-isnt-going-anywhere-thanks-to-trade-deal?utm_source=vicenewsfb

And what was 'given away' will be reimbursed by way of government subsidy for those farmers.

It's another planet, for sure.

izogi

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 22:17:46 +1300

Honestly, I don’t see much reason why your family should continue to benefit from your creation 50 or 70 years after you die.

One thing I find irritating is that copyright terms, and their extensions, all seem to be automatic and across the board, even when copyright owners have no…

Deborah

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 22:06:36 +1300

Expiration of copyright doesn’t deprive the original copyright owner from having it and using it, it merely deprives them of placing conditions on its copying and distribution for any longer.

If they're no longer earning income from it, sure. But if it creates a revenue stream for them, then removing…

Swan

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 22:00:26 +1300

"Canada did OK by continuing to protect dairy / poultry,"

The small fraction of Canada that work in the dairy or poultry industry did ok. The other 99.9%, lost out by continuing to overpay for food. In particular the poor are most affected.

izogi

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 21:50:16 +1300

If it’s okay to remove copyright protection after a certain period of time, is it also okay to remove real (land, buildings etc) property that people have inherited after a certain period of time?

I think a big difference between information and physical property is that the latter has an…

Swan

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 21:50:03 +1300

"One bouquet here is that tobacco companies have been specifically shut out of the new ISDS rights, meaning we can now safely move to impose plain packaging on cigarettes. (They’d better get on with that now.) "

The government position is that we won't until we see the outcome of…

Swan

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 21:43:50 +1300

". If I’m right on that, it will lock in the low level of home ownership in New Zealand, which is an awful result."

I think you also have to be right about a long list of dubious assumptions about the drivers of the housing market, to draw that long…

Kumara Republic

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 21:25:19 +1300

The extension of copyright terms in the US under the Sonny Bono Act wasn't done with the interests of artists in mind, but rather for the interests of Big Media. There's a good reason why the Sonny Bono Act is commonly referred to as the Mickey Mouse Act.

And there's…

Deborah

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 20:47:19 +1300

Honestly, I don’t see much reason why your family should continue to benefit from your creation 50 or 70 years after you die.

I’m puzzled about (as in, still trying to think my way through the issues and I haven’t reached even a tentative conclusion yet) the parallels with real…

SteveH

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 20:12:49 +1300

Well aware of the difference between songs and masters re. copyright – but the fact is NZ more and more a place where the originators are independent and own their recordings and a song you record and own at 17 can be damn useful to you and your family when…

Martin Brown

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 19:52:46 +1300

Actually, the worst understanding of creative works IP I've seen today was from Gordon Campbell who dissed the 70 year protection on ( although he didn't specify it as such ) recorded works, songs, and publishing as somehow stifling innovation – and went on to talk about what were clearly…

Martin Brown

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 19:48:44 +1300

"Not for the musicians/composers. Copyright in musical works currently extends 50 years from the death of the author. And now it'll be 70 years. So the copyright in, say, Graham Brazier's works will expire in 2085.

For master recording owners – typically record labels and producers – I have a…

Craig Young

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 19:32:52 +1300

Obviously, I'm concerned with the pharmaceutical angle. Has anyone else read the Pharmac "pharmacoeconomics analysis" paper, which explains how the pharmaceutical regulator arrives at its supply decisions? While the costs may not be passed on to the consumer, I am concerned that intellectual property and related processing rights will cause…

Joe Wylie

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 19:04:46 +1300

The remains of the Auto industrie workers exist by scavenging scrap metal Etc.

Like this?
https://youtu.be/SKL254Y_jtc

Sacha

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 17:47:19 +1300

I'm thinking more of his public statements and suchlike. But nobody in this cabinet seems to be much of a negotiator looking at their track record.

SteveH

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 17:45:58 +1300

Secondly – it has been suggested that TPP only needs to be passed by NZ cabinet and not something that even needs to be voted on by parliament. Does anyone know what the ratification process is for NZ ?

The treaty itself is ratified by cabinet, it does not require…

Jason Kemp

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 17:42:25 +1300

To me it looks like the aim has been to win small $ concessions for sunset industries but trade away the IP based (sunrise) sector. Partly this may be because knowledge based exports are more intangible and harder to value but that seems to be an area that needs more…

Russell Brown

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 17:20:44 +1300

And on autos, American consumers will get slightly cheaper Japanese-brand vehicles, which will hurt Detroit. But the Senate is probably past doing favours for Detroit after the auto bailouts.

You really ought to think about the way that comes across, to working class people.

I think it's fair comment. The…

Tinakori

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 17:07:24 +1300

And why would it be clownery when he used to lead the team of professional negotiators for NZ under a Labour government? Did declaring a political allegiance and acting on it suddenly tip him into the incompetent basket?

Bart Janssen

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 17:00:30 +1300

This is why the Government has been (quietly) saying they can’t stop foreigners buying property in Auckland.

Which is also the reason why we should ensure that simply buying and selling land in Auckland does not make you a tax-free profit regardless of which country you come from.

linger

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 16:53:19 +1300

You really ought to think about the way that comes across, to working class people.
Now, why should NZ Labour care if some other government does a deal harming their workers after bailing out managers in the same industry?
It’s not like there’s any principle involved.
And those workers aren’t…

Sacha

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 16:42:05 +1300

Yes, and there were enough competent negotiators on our team to make up for whatever clownery their Minister might impose, in any case.

Tinakori

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 16:34:57 +1300

"That said we all need to thank Australia for fighting the battle over drugs that Grosser neither cared about nor had the clout to win."

Just a thought, but perhaps he was fully aware of what the Australian position was and what they were going to do and backed it,…

SteveH

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 16:32:11 +1300

Is copyright meant to be purely about incentive to create? If so, what’s the argument for extending the term retrospectively for already-created works?

Because moar profitz!

SteveH

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 16:31:03 +1300

We now cannot prevent TPPA-nationals buying land in New Zealand unless it’s worth over $200 million.

Not just TPPA-nationals. Other countries with "most favoured nation" investment status, such as China and Korea are effectively grandfathered into this deal and specifically these investment rules. As it happens the Korean agreement already…

Kumara Republic

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:54:19 +1300

It does worry me that some foreign corporation can buy land here, totally destroy it, declare bankruptcy and never have to fix up (if they could) what they have destroyed.

We've already seen these 'phoenix companies' in the building sector. The Clark Govt had measures to deal with them, only…

Bart Janssen

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:39:51 +1300

being asked to take waaay to much on trust

Which is a huge issue with the way this has been carried out. The "trust us we're businessmen" just isn't really reasonable when you are paid to represent the public.

It may just be that Grosser wasn't pushing the Pharmac issue…

David Hood

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:33:12 +1300

Without TPM restrictions, it is much easier to tell if manufacture software is lying to you (like VW)

mpledger

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:28:04 +1300

It does worry me that some foreign corporation can buy land here, totally destroy it, declare bankruptcy and never have to fix up (if they could) what they have destroyed.

It's a way for foreign countries to destroy us from within – destroy our ability to feed ourselves and ruin…

Russell Brown

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:24:34 +1300

Then again, who the hell knows? That's the problem with playing cute — you don't get to turn around and pretend to be shocked when wild surmise and self-serving leaks fill the hole.

I wouldn't even call the leaks self-serving. Public advocacy would have been almost impossible without insight into…

Ian Dalziel

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:05:22 +1300

Can’t help but think of ...
... definitely looked like a bit of an unseemly
TPPA 'lolly scramble' at the end there...

Katharine Moody

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 14:58:29 +1300

This is an interesting perspective;

We've been told repeatedly that the increase in the cost of medicines won't be dramatic. Quite right – the extra costs from prolonging monopoly rights will be like watching a tree grow; it's slow but gets bigger all the time.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11524614

Does anyone else get…

Craig Ranapia

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 14:52:22 +1300

That’s certainly how it looks.

Then again, who the hell knows? That's the problem with playing cute — you don't get to turn around and pretend to be shocked when wild surmise and self-serving leaks fill the hole. I don't think trade agreements are intrinsically evil (which strikes me as…

Don Christie

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 14:52:06 +1300

the drug companies got very little

You think? What news on patent extensions and linkages and other extending rules on non-biotech drugs. Seems to me the focus on biotech is a bait and switch. Hope I'm wrong.

TPMs are a bastard for consumers and tech companies alike. More on that…

Katharine Moody

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 14:51:04 +1300

Can't help but think of ..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q800G-x8qA0

Russell Brown

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 14:46:02 +1300

That said we all need to thank Australia for fighting the battle over drugs that Grosser neither cared about nor had the clout to win.

That's certainly how it looks.