Trans Pacific Partnership Intellectual Property...

My research question is how does the newly-released Trans-Pacific Partnership’s Intellectual Property provisions affect the privacy of the internet. For those who do not know what the Trans-Pacific Partnership is, tppinfo.org defines it as â€Å"a free trade agreement currently being negotiated by nine countries: The United States, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. [1] While my question focuses the intellectual property portions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (henceforth TPP), it is good to understand what many believe are the pros and cons of the agreement as a whole. Proponents of the TPP believe the deal will boost exports and economic growth, remove trade tariffs on imports and†¦show more content†¦While it is vital to understand the TPP from a larger perspective, it is equally important to understand what exactly an ‘intellectual property’ is. According to wipo.int (which stands for World Int ellectual Property Organization), â€Å"intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce.† (World Intellectual Property Organization, â€Å"What is Intellectual Property?†) Some examples of intellectual properties are slogans, such as McDonald’s â€Å"I’m lovin’ it†, or are rights to movies and/or books such as Star Wars. Owning the intellectual property rights to something such as Star Wars means that only the owner is allowed to make the movies or books, or even create new material. Knowing now what an intellectual property is, it is appropriate to understand the definition of the TPP as it relates to IP. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) defines the TPP as â€Å"a secretive, multinational trade agreement that threatens to extend restrictive intellectual property laws across the globe and rewrite international rules o n its enforcement.† (Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, Electronic Frontier Foundation) Throughout the rest of this essay I will try to explain this definition using research that I did and why I believe that the internet and intellectual properties be minimally regulated at all costs. Many proponents of an open and free internet are against