One of the methods they have tried to use is though the US Trade Representative (USTR). They have enlisted his help to get trade agreements in place that actually prevent countries from enacting and changing their own laws on Copyright or Patents. One of the agreements that is currently making its unsuccessful way around is the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership). Already many countries feel that the US is far off base with the requirements they are asking and even smaller countries are rejecting it.

In some of the larger countries with stronger economic ties to the US the agreement is being met with more open arms by the politicians that are also being lobbied by their MPAA and RIAA equivalents. In some cases the corruption is unheard of as politicians, judges and even the federal police are on pro-copyright boards, teach pro-copyright law or in some extreme cases work for the copyright groups!

The population of these countries is starting to view the US as an evil nation more than ever before. It reinforces the notion that the US is a greedy nation led by corporations and not the champion of freedom and justice it would like to be seen as (and once was). As this popular opinion shifts others in positions of power (in some cases judges and newly formed “pirate parties”) are starting to speak out about the abuses of the entertainment industry. One place that this is happening very quickly is in New Zealand where the controversial Kim Dotcom extradition trails are happening.

Quite a bit of information has come to light showing how the MPAA, RIAA and even the US DOJ are trying to starve MegaUpload and Kim Dotcom out of their right to proper legal defense and addition to improperly served charges, bad warrants and more improper behavior on the part of US officials all at the request of the Entertainment Industry (who saw MegaUpload as a competitive threat).

Now it looks like the Judge presiding over the extradition trial is one that opposes the oppressive restrictions put in place by trade agreements like TPP. In fact he has spoken out about it and called the US “the enemy” in the twisted world of copyright law. However before we all get excited about an anti-copyright judge presiding over the case here, it is important to remember that the US DoJ and the Entertainment Industry can object claiming Bias. I know this never works for the accused, but the industry has more pull so it is highly likely that this judge (Judge David Harvey) will not hear the case, but someone more copyright friendly like in The Pirate Bay trials where both judges were outspokenly pro-copyright and the lead investigator was working hard to win a position with Warner Bothers…
We do hope that there is a positive outcome here as it will set a precedent and a message to the US entertainment industry that they cannot push their belief system out to the world and continue to keep the industry as a whole in the past where it is struggling to do anything relevant.
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