Wikileaks has released what it claims is the full intellectual property chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the controversial agreement between 12 countries that was signed off on Monday.TPP was negotiated in secret and details have yet to be published. But critics including Democrat presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, unions and privacy activists have lined up to attack what they have seen of it. Wikileaks' latest disclosures are unlikely to reassure them.
One chapter appears to give the signatory countries (referred to as "parties") greater power to stop embarrassing information going public. The treaty would give signatories the ability to curtail legal proceedings if the theft of information is "detrimental to a party's economic interests, international relations, or national defense or national security" - in other words, presumably, if a trial would cause the information to spread.
A drafter's note says that every participating country's individual laws about whistle-blowing would still apply.
TPP is now facing a rough ride through Congress where President Obama's opponents on the right argue the agreement does not do enough for business while opponents on the left argue it does too much.
Obama has pledged to make the TPP public but only after the legislation has passed.
Sh*t can the treaty and impeach the b*stard.