WikiLeaks has published the secret text to part of the biggest U.S. trade deal in history, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
For the past several years, the United States and 12 Pacific Rim
nations have been negotiating behind closed doors on the sweeping
agreement. A 95-page draft of a TPP chapter
released by WikiLeaks on Wednesday details agreements relating to
patents, copyright, trademarks and industrial design — showing their
wide-reaching implications for Internet services, civil liberties,
publishing rights and medicine accessibility. Critics say the deal could
rewrite U.S. laws on intellectual property rights, product safety and
environmental regulations, while backers say it will help create jobs
and boost the economy. President Obama and U.S. Trade Representative
Michael Froman reportedly wish to finalize the TPP
by the end of the year and are pushing Congress to expedite legislation
that grants the president something called "fast-track authority."
However, this week some 151 House Democrats and 23 Republicans wrote
letters to the administration saying they are unwilling to give the
president free rein to "diplomatically legislate." We host a debate on
the TPP between Bill Watson, a trade policy
analyst at the Cato Institute, and Lori Wallach, director of Public
Citizen’s Global Trade Watch.
Video
Source: democracynow.org
Author: --
Video
Source: democracynow.org
Author: --
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