Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-3088201-20131206135234/@comment-4811793-20131206173557

The TPP is indeed a complicated issue. One thing to keep in mind is that it is a massive trade agreement between 11 nations that at least partially touches on everything from fishing rights to pharmaceuticals. It has been in a state of ongoing negotiation for the last several years. The 20th round of TPP negotiations will take place in Singapore next week.

Some of the most controversial elements deal with privacy standards and intellectual property (patents, copyright, trademarks, etc.). Obviously this can have a huge impact on the global internet where information moves freely between borders which is why there is so much discussion. It doesn’t specifically set out to censor or shut down sites like Wikia, but it is likely to create stricter penalties for IP enforcement that definitely could have a stifling effect.

It is a treaty currently being negotiated by the international community. Another aspect that upsets many critics of the TPP is the fact that these negotiations are largely carried out without public input by trade representatives of the included countries. Many of the specifics of the deal have not been publicly released and are only widely available due to unofficial leaks of the part of the agreement detailing IP provisions.

It is hard to definitively discuss the agreement without knowing it's specific provisions, which is why much of the backlash has focused on making the process more transparent.

Callofduty4 has laid out some great resources, and we definitely encourage everyone to learn as much as they can about this and other policies that may affect them. Negotiations are currently ongoing, and there is nothing wrong with educating yourself, discussing the issue, and reaching out to your representatives to let them know how you feel. That said, let’s try to keep the discussion civil.