<nettime> WTO and e-commerce

[James Love <love@cptech.org>]

     [orig to RANDOM-BITS <random-bits@essential.org>; USTR =
      U.S. Trade Representative, i assume. cheers, tb]

I'm in the Seattle for the WTO meetings.  Earlier today I visited with
USTR and asked for a copy of the exact language the US is seeking in the
meeting declaration regarding the so called forbearance issue.  Countries
are being asked to not adopt legislation on consumer protection or privacy
that provides unnecessary barriers for trade.  Microsoft and lots of
other ecommerce concerns are pushing hard for this.  The USTR said there
were no public versions of the language that I could see.

While few want "unnecessary" regulation, many of us don't want the WTO to
decide what is unnecessary.  And, it would be nice if the USTR would at
least show this to its own citizens before it gets into a WTO declaration.
Microsoft has already run ads supporting this proposal, so I guess some
people are getting some access to the proposals.  

The other agenda items for USTR are language making WTO rules apply to the
internet, a special statement regarding IP rights and the Internet, an
extention of the ban of Internet tariffs and some statement about the WTO
work program on E-Commerce.

   Jamie

-------------------------------
James Love 
Center for Study of Responsive Law | Consumer Project on Technology 
P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036 | http://www.cptech.org
Voice 202/387-8030 | Fax 202/234-5176 | love@cptech.org

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