It doesn't make sense for Americans to oppose this treaty. We already live under most of these IP rules with no hope of relaxing them. Extending these profit protections to other countries will mainly benefit American companies and improve our economy.
They aren't American companies, they're multi-nationals, and will keep the money in a tax haven to avoid paying US taxes on it. And this isn't a prediction, this is what is happening RIGHT NOW.
It won't help the US economy one iota, and if you push this dysfunctional nonsense out internationally you have gone from "almost no chance of reform" to "absolutely no chance of reform."
1) Simply because we can't save ourselves doesn't mean we should willing inflict it on other people.
2) There is always the hope, however small, that we'd be able to do it domestically. With an international agreement of this scale, it would truly be impossible.
First of all, we still don't know the whole text of the treaty, actually being treated as a trade promotion authority, so how can you at all make that statement without further knowledge of what the treaty contains?
Second, there are plenty of reasons to oppose this treaty that have nothing to do with this particular IP chapter, but even if we are judging the treaty based of this single chapter it would still be enough to oppose it due to the unaccountability it implements and the restriction of electronic freedom it pushes. The DMCA was bad enough, but to make it worse and then push it on other countries under the false premise that it would push up those countries is ridiculous. If anything, our broken IP system has hindered our growth, not helped it.
You have a better chance of reforming bad laws if other countries have better one that can be pointed to. When bad laws are pushed onto other countries then they become the 'standard' and you have less chance of getting them reformed.
> It doesn't make sense for Americans to oppose this treaty. We already live under most of these IP rules with no hope of relaxing them.
We need to push to change these laws. Such treaties make it harder, to they should be opposed. Besides, if they are bad, you should be opposed to spread them to others.
I think this perspective needs to be expanded on (thank you btw). I'd like to see a couple IP experts 'debate' the issue and the implications of its facets.
You can start by reading everything written about the DMCA, SOPA, PIPA, ACTA, and TPP over the last many years. There is nothing to be expanded upon; just do some research and you'll find all the arguments you need.
