19 July 2013

Government copyright review delay confirms fears about TPPA

The Government is admitting that the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will sign away New Zealanders rights by putting the copyright review on hold until the agreement is concluded, the Green Party said today.

The Government has agreed to delay a Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment review into the copyright legislation passed in 2008. Despite acknowledging that there is “significant public demand” for a review, the Government claims it would be “impractical” for the review to go ahead prior to the TPPA concluding.

“New Zealand’s copyright rules should be written by New Zealanders not outsourced to secret negotiations dominated by Hollywood,” Green Party ICT spokesperson Gareth Hughes said today.

“The TPPA is a secretive trade deal which leaked documents show focuses on restricting nation’s abilities to legislate against corporate interests, harsher copyright laws and banning parallel importing.

“The National Government should reconsider their decision and commit to this review which was agreed to five years ago.

“New Zealand is well behind other countries like Australia and the United Kingdom in terms of reviewing their copyright laws in an electronic age and it is consumers, innovators and the New Zealand economy that are losers from this decision.

“Leaked papers from the TPPA show proposals to significantly increase terms of copyright, introduce more punitive rules and give copyright holders the power to veto parallel imports are all driving up costs for consumers.

“Artists, authors and creatives should be able to make a living but the TPPA  is about big business not individual artists.

“This is just another example of this National Government bowing to the demands of big business and leaving ordinary New Zealanders out in the cold,” said Mr Hughes.

ENDS

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