TTP Could Outlaw Filesharing Sites

WikiLeaks has been releasing secret documents from the recently-signed Trans-Pacific Partnership, which ties a cabal of Pacific countries, including the US, Canada, and Australia, to an intercontinental trade agreement, over the last week, and the latest papers, related to intellectual property, could threaten the existence of filesharing websites.

TTP is designed to unify rules and laws that govern business practices across all member countries, meaning that the harshest laws become uniform across every nation signed to the agreement. So, the United States of America’s notorious DMCA takedowns can be applied to all 12 TPP member states.

The leaked documents require all TPP members to adhere to a law that says that ISPs must “remove or disable access” to a website found sharing infringing content. Note: it is not the content that is disabled, it is the site itself. Canada, which has always been laissez-faire when it comes to content takedown will now be obliged to reprimand websites upon a single complaint.

There is still hope, though. The document released by WikiLeaks is merely the current wording, not the final draft, so with months still to go during the drafting process, we may see the rulings become less draconian.

Thank you Engadget for providing us with this information.