[OT] Re: FTA and news media (was: Re: [plug] xbox)

[Craig Ringer]

On Thu, 2004-03-04 at 22:50, James Devenish wrote:

> Various negative impacts upon intellectual property (and other nuances
> besides the better-known pharmaceutical and agricultural trade issues)
> have been known for some time, so why is it that media coverage
> continues to overlook these matters? 

Because it's "too hard" - most people hear "computer" related matters
(in the broadest possible sense, including things like software patent
law) and immediately switch off. Therefore, the media covers more
"interesting" areas like farming. Did you forget that Australia is still
an primary production nation, anyway :-P ?

Hopefully we /won't/ get DMCA-like anti-circumvention laws, software
patents, "improved" laws to "empower" "IP" owners to "protect" their
"IP", etc. That's what the treaty appears to be trying to give us.

Craig Ringer