Yesterday, 32 public interest groups, including Public Knowledge, sent a letter to world leaders urging them to conduct Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations in a transparent matter. We’ve separately (and repeatedly) expressed concerns about what TPP will do to copyright law, but this letter focused on the fact that TPP has been negotiated largely in secret, with more opportunity for industry representatives to have input than the public. “In order to ensure that democratic principles are preserved,” the letter says, “policy makers, civil society, and members of the public must be given the opportunity to have a level of participation and engagement in this process that is at least equal to that of industry representatives.”
In other news, hello! I’m Laura Moy, the new staff attorney at Public Knowledge. Before coming here, I was a staff attorney and teaching fellow at the Institute for Public Representation, a clinic at Georgetown Law. I am very much looking forward to joining PK’s public interest policy efforts! You can reach me anytime at laura@publicknowledge.org or @lauramoy.