Wikileaks
Releases Next Chapter on TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Crony Trade
Deal
3
November, 2014
On
Thursday, October 16th Wikileaks released a second chapter from the
Trans-Pacific Partnership documents regarding Intellectual Property.
The last time they released leaked documents about Intellectual
Property from the TPP was November 2013.
The
press release from WikiLeaks says:
“The
77-page, 30,000-word document is a working document from the
negotiations in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, dated 16 May 2014, and
includes negotiator’s notes and all country positions from that
period in bracketed text. Although there have been a couple of
additional rounds of talks since this text, little has changed in
them and it is clear that the negotiations are stalling and that the
issues raised in this document will be very much on the table in
Australia this month.
The
last time the public got access to the TPP IP Chapter draft text was
in November 2013 when WikiLeaks published the 30 August 2013
bracketed text. Since that point, some controversial and damaging
areas have had little change; issues surrounding digital rights have
moved little. However, there are significant industry-favouring
additions within the areas of pharmaceuticals and patents. These
additions are likely to affect access to important medicines such as
cancer drugs and will also weaken the requirements needed to patent
genes in plants, which will impact small farmers and boost the
dominance of large agricultural corporations like Monsanto.
Nevertheless,
some areas that were highlighted after WikiLeaks’ last IP Chapter
release have seen alterations that reflect the controversy; surgical
method patents have been removed from the text. Doctors’ groups
said this was vitally important for allowing doctors to engage in
medical procedures without fear of a lawsuit for providing the best
care for their patients. Opposition is increasing to remove the
provision proposed by the US and Japan that would require granting of
patents for new drugs that are slightly altered from a previous
patented one (evergreening), a technique by the pharmaceutical
industry to prolong market monopoly.
The
new WikiLeaks release of the May 2014 TPP IP text also has previously
unseen addendums, including a new proposal for different treatment
for developing countries, with varying transition periods for the
text to take force. Whilst this can be viewed as an attempt to ease
the onus of this harsh treaty on these countries, our diplomatic
sources say it is a stalling tactic. The negative proposals within
the agreement would still have to come into force in those countries,
while the governments that brought them in would have changed.
Despite
the United States wanting to push to a resolution within the TPP last
year, this bracketed text shows there is still huge opposition and
disagreement throughout the text. At this critical moment the
negotiations have now stalled, and developing countries are giving
greater resistance. Despite the huge lobbying efforts, and many
favourable proposals for big pharmaceutical companies, they are not
getting entirely what they wish for either.”
Julian
Assange said:
The lack of movement within the TPP IP Chapter shows that this only stands to harm people, and no one is satisfied. This clearly demonstrates that such an all-encompassing and divisive trade agreement is too damaging to be brought into force. The TPP should stop now.
Current
TPP negotiation member states are the United States, Japan, Mexico,
Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New
Zealand and Brunei. “, the press release continue.
In
addition Julian Assange had this to say:
“The selective secrecy surrounding the TPP negotiations, which has let in a few cashed-up megacorps but excluded everyone else, reveals a telling fear of public scrutiny. By publishing this text we allow the public to engage in issues that will have such a fundamental impact on their lives.”
The
Full Chapter concerning Intellectual Property leaked from the TPP
negotiations can
be viewed here.
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