WIPO Broadcast Treaty: Expansive Free Speech Limitations Proposed by U.N.

A severely restrictive treaty proposal is being pushed through the World Intellectual Property Organization's "Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights" that would have the result of significant global restrictions on free speech. The treaty, currently being reviewed at a UN convention in Geneva, would significantly restrict interpretations of fair use and subsequent freedom of expression on a global scale.



Especially alarming is the U.S. administration's push to ensure that the treaty also applies to Internet-based content. Under the new laws, it would be essentially illegal to critique comments made by President Bush in a Fox News interview. Such criticism of the subject of a news interview would fall under the "anti-circumvention rights" created by the new treaty.

Much of what we discuss here on ATS would suddenly fall under the "anti-circumvention rights" protection as we're constantly using material sourced from firms that would be protected by this treaty.

This is a dangerous proposed treaty that quietly has moved quite far along, apparently with the full and vigorous support of the U.S. government.

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I surely vote yes for this one! It is very important!! NWO? If this law is applicated, this is global fascism on his way!

I clicked on send alert because I thought it was to say that you could change the news status to alert because it's a major cut in our freedoms...

ok im pretty confused right now im not going to lie. anyone want to explain this in laymans terms because ive read the entire article and not understanding what its doing.

wait a tick...im catching on lol. ok this sounds pretty bad.

if say fox was broadcasting an article about something you would have to get permission to use it? if so (explicit) this, i refuse to do that, this would be the highest invasion of personal rights i would have ever seen. does this apply to people who would be using it for non benefit purposes?

then again a site like this, you guys make profits in a way by people clicking on the site and ADs so they could still technically sue you for information taken from them right?


edit:
www.ip-watch.org...
after reading that article i got an even better idea and just wow. top this at breaking news, put this up. this is where i get the real chills

Under the proposal, artists would need to beg permission from broadcasting companies in order to make any use of their own performances.

For example, if US President Bush gave an interview to Fox News, Fox could prevent any subsequent use of that footage including fair use, commentary, or criticism of President Bush - at its sole discretion - under the new anti-circumvention rights created by this treaty. Much of the political humor available on Comedy Central’s “The Jon Stewart Show” could become illegal under this treaty.

i am completely and utterly blown away. get this on the main page.

[edit on 4-5-2006 by grimreaper797]

Well, for anybody that still thinks that life under the current administration is just nice and peachy. . . and that we all enjoy our constitutional rights with not repercussions.

Is nice to see how far and away the present elected members of our government will go to promote how We the people should behave, act and promulgate information.

I wonder if this will be taken as a Good thing in the US once people gets to know the intentions of it.

[edit on 4-5-2006 by marg6043]

Oh good grief.

Why does this not surprise me.

Thanks for the heads up SO.

What will happen to Open Source? Never mind scientific and intellectual freedom?

And if all information is a commodity, then public education will fail. Guess this helps explains the big push on private schools.

This isn't the first step towards Fascism, this is the first step towards a global Corporatocracy.

Originally posted by sardion2000
This isn't the first step towards Fascism, this is the first step towards a global Corporatocracy.

...and remember what Mussolini said: Communism is when government owns the corporations; fascism is when corporations own the government.


[insert swear word here]

Add this in with the new DMCA in the USA and a very bleak future looks likely if they get passed.

Piracy Worse then Child Porn

For example assaulting a police officer will get you five years, downloading child porn will get you seven years, assaulting without a weapon will get you ten years and aggravated assault six years.

So in other words if you copy a Disney CD and sell it you will be in the same league as a paedophile who is distributing pictures of sexual attacks on children.

If you copy Craig David's CD you get ten years, but if you punch him in the face and pummel him into a seven day coma you will only get six. You are more likely to get the respect of the prison population with your six year sentence as well.

[edit on 4-5-2006 by sardion2000]

Check out this "companion" thread:

Internet Censorship

Originally posted by marg6043Well, for anybody that still thinks that life under the current administration is just nice and peachy. . . and that we all enjoy our constitutional rights with not repercussions.

This isn't a US issue. It's a Global Issue. Every member of the U.N. will have to pass laws complying with this new treaty, if it gets approved and ratified by enough nations. The alternative is, of course, sanctions.

Also, don't delude yourself into thinking the Democrats will treat this issue any differently. They are the ones who originally came up with the dreaded and hated DMCA.

[edit on 4-5-2006 by sardion2000]

We're at the wall sports fans.

It's corporate rights versus human rights.

What do YOU think? Is information a commodity? Something to be traded and sold? Or is it humankind's greatest treasure - and our future?


.

Ive repeatedly been saying that corporations are the enemy, not the government(well they are actually one in the same).

to me this is more threatening then anything ive read about Iran. This, to me, is as bad, if not worse then the Iran Crisis.

Originally posted by grimreaper797
to me this is more threatening then anything ive read about Iran. This, to me, is as bad, if not worse then the Iran Crisis.

I can not agree more with you, corporate American Is the government and the few politicians that we get to truly elect clean become easily lure into the lobbyist buy outs.

It's a shame that what was our best way of government has become so corrupted.

This should really be on the main page, imho. This is more important news then anything ive seen so far. I think its urgent any member of ATS read it since its implications would definately effect ATS in a negative manner.

i want to see the neysayers of our freedoms being taken away what they have to say to this.


[edit on 4-5-2006 by grimreaper797]

This reminds me of one of the reasons why European kingdoms were so adverse to education. Education can lead to revolution. In today's time, governments can't really stop education, so what to do? Stop the spread of information and claim as reason the rights of fictious entities called corporations. We've gone from the feadul system to the corporate system, yet the ideology stays the same.

[edit on 4-5-2006 by Jamuhn]

Originally posted by grimreaper797
Ive repeatedly been saying that corporations are the enemy, not the government(well they are actually one in the same).

to me this is more threatening then anything ive read about Iran. This, to me, is as bad, if not worse then the Iran Crisis.

Yet, when it's reported on ATSNN, any thread about Iran gets like 2-3 pages of replies within a few hours and this hasn't even broken the 2 page mark. Makes one wonder eh?

[edit on 4-5-2006 by sardion2000]

sardion2000

No, is not an only US issue, but like you pointed out either party will promote and push the treaty.

Also I find very interesting that our own administration will be so into getting the INTERNET included.

Especially alarming is the U.S. administration's push to ensure that the treaty also applies to Internet-based content.

To me this is another constitutional rights issue taking into consideration that our Free speech and media speech are protected, or at least we think that they are.

What is the government so afraid off?

The image of the political members been portrait for what they are and make fun of what they do?

They are not kings and at least since the last time I checked we are still a democracy so they have not rights to go around circumventing constitutional rights under the UN.

Since when the UN dictate what we in the US have rights or not.

If I remember very well only when the present administration seems some chance to get something out of the UN they support them.

Meanwhile they pretty much ignore them.

Remember Iraq?

[edit on 4-5-2006 by marg6043]

Middleman rights? Bah humbug!

US copyright head: world "totally rejects" webcasting restrictions

This treaty will stunt the internet's variety, volume, creativity, expression, and innovation, when the preformers or artists have to ask for permission from these broadcasting companies in order let either themselves or others to use their works on the database. Giving internet audio/video databases a 50-year monopoly over the use of copies they send out is a mockery to free speech.

Chalk this up to yet another frontal assaullt against liberty by the MPAA, RIAA, Yahoo, News Corp, Microsoft, Time-Warner, AT&T and other assorted old school film studios that are trying to drive us further into bowels of trepidation. These corporations are in serious need of mind talent and a business model, if they think the way to increase profits is to break the internet.

World Intellectual Property Organization Wiki
As with all United Nations multi-government forums, WIPO is not an elected body. Some argue that WIPO does not therefore act in the interests of citizens as the representatives of its member states are either not democratic or are highly abstracted government agencies which are only lobbied effectively by major corporations.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.