And to Your Right - the TTIP

With all the news about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TTP) and debate about its effects on intellectual property and Internet user rights, we should also keep in mind another huge trade deal that is in mid-negotiation: the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP, between the US and the EU.  The TTIP is not nearly as far along as the TPP, but because of its similar potential to have a huge impact the US it also bears watching.

The TTIP has inspired huge protests in the EU, with hundreds of thousands of people gathering to protest it this past week in Berlin and other cities in Europe, and more than 3.2 million people signing an anti-TTIP petition that was delivered last week to the European Commission.  Many of the protestors' concerns relate to the TTIP's potential effect on European food safety and environmental laws, which are generally viewed to be tougher than those imposed in the US.

The TTIP isn't all about GMO and fracking, however.  It is intended to include provisions relating to intellectual property, and while they haven't been solidified yet, the Electronic Frontier Foundation nonetheless prepared a piece back in January of 2015 that nicely highlights some areas of potential concern.  

In any event, when that many people claim to oppose a trade deal that directly involves the US, it bears keeping an eye on what's going on.  The US media has been relatively quiet about the TTIP, so if you want to follow along you'll be best served to see what the international press has to say about it.