RCEP's Digital Trade Negotiations Remain Shrouded in Secrecy
From May 2-12, the Philippines hosted the 18th round of negotiations of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a TPP-like trade agreement covering ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and six partner countries – China, India, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea. Access to the...
Secret New European Copyright Proposal Spells Disaster for Free Culture
EFF has learned about a new proposal for European law that takes aim at online streaming services, but which will strike a serious blow to creators and their fans. The proposal, which would effectively ban online streaming services from hosting works under free licenses, could spell an end to services...
European Publishing Lobby Forces Compromise on Marrakesh Treaty
The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled was one of the most fiercely contested treaty negotiations at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Representatives of publishers and other copyright holder groups spent years unashamedly lobbying...
Oakland City Council Committee Advances Measure to Require Transparency and Public Process for Surveillance Tech
On May 9, the Public Safety Committee of the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to approve a proposed “Surveillance and Community Safety Ordinance.” The measure, passed on to the Council by the city’s Privacy Advisory Commission, is modeled on a law enacted in spring 2016 by Santa...
In Providence, Policymakers Delay Visionary Local Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Reforms
Recent events in Providence, RI demonstrate both how a sustained grassroots campaign can create opportunities for civil rights and civil liberties, and also how quickly those opportunities can be derailed by institutional actors. While the latest City Council decision delayed reform efforts and frustrated community members,...
The WIPO Broadcasting Treaty Would be a Body Blow for Online Video
This week EFF is in Geneva, at the Thirty-Fourth session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), to oppose a Broadcasting Treaty that could limit the use of video online. Ahead of this meeting, word was that delegations...
Chinese Government and Hollywood Launch Snoop-and-Censor Copyright Filter
Two weeks ago the Copyright Society of China (also known as the China Copyright Association) launched its new 12426 Copyright Monitoring Center, which is dedicated to scanning the Chinese Internet for evidence of copyright infringement. This frightening panopticon is said to be able to monitor video,...
Post-TPP Special 301 Report Shows How Little Has Changed
Last Friday the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released the 2017 edition of its Special 301 Report [PDF], which the USTR issues each year to "name and shame" other countries that the U.S. claims should be doing more to protect and enforce their copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets....
The End of the NSA's ‘About’ Searches Is Just the Beginning
The Bill of Rights at the Border: Fifth Amendment Protections for Account Passwords and Device Passcodes
This is the third and final installment in our series on the Constitution at the border. Today, we’ll focus on the Fifth Amendment and passwords. Click here for Part 1 on the First Amendment or Part 2 on the Fourth Amendment.
Lately, a big question on everyone's...
