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On 08/17/2010 01:35 AM, Basil Chupin wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:4C6A3BC1.1080404@iinet.net.au" type="cite">
  <pre wrap="">On 15/08/2010 19:27, Yorvyk wrote:
  </pre>
  <blockquote type="cite">
    <pre wrap="">On Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:41:34 +1000
Basil Chupin<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:blchupin@iinet.net.au"><blchupin@iinet.net.au></a>  wrote:

   
    </pre>
    <blockquote type="cite">
      <pre wrap="">On 15/08/2010 13:21, IdleOne wrote:
     
      </pre>
      <blockquote type="cite">
        <pre wrap="">Ubuntu comes with Totem as a default as for the codecs, there are legal
reasons why those codecs are not installed by default and they won't be
anytime soon

       
        </pre>
      </blockquote>
      <pre wrap="">Nor forever - if the terms of the secret negotiations now going on
between nations, and about which they are "sworn" not to discuss or
disclose to their citizens are accepted. I read about this only a day or
so ago but now cannot find the reference to this :-( .

And it is not a joke.

I'll see if I can find this article I read and will then post it
probably in sounder.

     
      </pre>
    </blockquote>
    <pre wrap="">I think it is ACTA that you’re talking about.
   
    </pre>
  </blockquote>
  <pre wrap="">
Yes, it is the ACTA which I read about and was referring to.

A frightening situation.

1984 on steroids.

BC


  </pre>
</blockquote>
        Here is what Google brought up with ACTA:<br>
<br>
<p>The <b>Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement</b> (<b>ACTA</b>) is a
proposed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plurilateral_agreement"
 title="Plurilateral agreement">plurilateral agreement</a> for the
purpose of establishing international standards on <a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property"
 title="Intellectual property">intellectual property</a> rights
enforcement.<sup id="cite_ref-ec-fact-sheet-nov2008_0-0"
 class="reference"><a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement#cite_note-ec-fact-sheet-nov2008-0"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup>
ACTA would establish a new international legal framework that countries
can join on a voluntary basis<sup id="cite_ref-med.govt.nz_1-0"
 class="reference"><a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement#cite_note-med.govt.nz-1"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a></sup>
and would create its own governing body outside existing international
institutions such as the <a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization"
 title="World Trade Organization">World Trade Organization</a> (WTO),
the <a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Intellectual_Property_Organization"
 title="World Intellectual Property Organization">World Intellectual
Property Organization</a> (WIPO) or the <a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations"
 title="United Nations">United Nations</a>.<sup
 id="cite_ref-ec-fact-sheet-nov2008_0-1" class="reference"><a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement#cite_note-ec-fact-sheet-nov2008-0"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup><sup
 id="cite_ref-Pilieci_2-0" class="reference"><a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement#cite_note-Pilieci-2"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a></sup>
Negotiating countries have described it as a response "to the increase
in global trade of counterfeit goods and pirated copyright protected
works."<sup id="cite_ref-med.govt.nz_1-1" class="reference"><a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement#cite_note-med.govt.nz-1"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a></sup>
The scope of ACTA is broad, including <a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterfeit" title="Counterfeit">counterfeit</a>
goods, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_drug"
 title="Generic drug">generic</a> medicines and <a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_infringement"
 title="Copyright infringement">copyright infringement</a> on the <a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet" title="Internet">Internet</a>.<sup
 id="cite_ref-ustr-acta-summary_3-0" class="reference"><a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement#cite_note-ustr-acta-summary-3"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a></sup>
Because it is in effect a treaty, ACTA would overcome many court
precedents defining consumer rights as to "fair use" and would either
change or remove limitations on the application of intellectual
property laws.</p>
After a series of draft text leaks in 2008, 2009 and 2010 the
negotiating parties published the <a
 href="http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2010/april/tradoc_146029.pdf"
 class="external text" rel="nofollow">official version of the current
draft</a> on 20 April 2010.<sup
 id="cite_ref-first-official-public-draft_4-0" class="reference"><a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement#cite_note-first-official-public-draft-4"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></a></sup>
The idea to create a plurilateral agreement on counterfeiting was
developed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan" title="Japan">Japan</a>
and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States"
 title="United States">United States</a> in 2006. Canada, the <a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union"
 title="European Union">European Union</a> and <a
 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland" title="Switzerland">Switzerland</a>
joined the <br>
<br>
    This from the first web page ACTA brought up. There is more than
you want to read<span class="moz-smiley-s1"><span> :-) </span></span><br>
<br>
<br>
73 Karl<br>
<br>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">-- 

        Karl F. Larsen, AKA K5DI
        Linux User
        #450462   <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://counter.li.org">http://counter.li.org</a>.
        Key ID = 3951B48D

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