NationStates Jolt Archive

Countries of the United Nations, look at the UCPL resolution on the table.

Copyright laws do vary from country to country, and this, admittedly, IS a problem. However, in operating clause one it says that law has to be the same for all members.

How is this beneficial when we don't even know what that law IS?! Why spend time on further deliberations when, if this bill was secure, could do it by itself?

Ooperating clause 3 and 4 are wastes of time with committees within the United Nations already able to handle these processes. Why be redundant?

UCPL is an extremely poor, vague resolution that is destined for failure. Ansteorra feels that it cannot pass this bill should we want to have any choice over what international copyright laws be.

The nation of Hellenismos agrees with Ansteorra. The proposal is vaguely worded and would, even if the lack of a standard copyright code for all of the UN nations to agree upon were ignored, be impractical to implement and intrusive into the siveriegnity of the member nations.

Why I'm against it: hegemony by the most powerful does not make it right, nor make it work.

First of all, I don't think such a law will do much for trade -- if the proposal had set out some stipulations or criteria then I could better judge this, but overall I think the originator's reasoning is pretty naive, to link copyright law with better trade. How do they figure that?

in my OOC life, I have a friend who works for a NGO (non-government organization) that has observer status at the UN. She attended a conference on copyright a couple years ago, and her statement about human resources was extraordinary. The U.S. showed up at the conference with 200-300 lawyers, plus support staff. Clearly they were prepared to take on the issue and make their points known. This demonstration of human resources was in huge contrast to most of the developing nations, who on average sent _one_ representative each -- the person was sometimes a Minister from that country who also had a law background, if indeed they did, and some were that country's Minister of Justice. In other words, in most countries in the world, they do not currently have the human resources to either develop, defend or enforce any kind of copyright law. This leaves the vision of the richest countries, who, if their vision prevails, will reap the most benefit -- although such laws would be virtually unenforceable, thus fairly pointless.

I don't want a world where the countries with the most lawyers 'wins' the right to form the laws of what should be a global issue -- who gets to decide what is fair?

As our world's richest countries are in actuality sending small armies of their corporate and intellectual property legal elite in order to impose their way, I don't think it would be much different in NationStates if the proposal at stake is passed. The issue is complex, and cannot have a simplistic answer -- some order must be imposed, but not decreed. And so I don't think much of this UN proposal.
That is my reasoning.

salutations,

Freelander

(cross-posted elsewhere in this forum and on the Monkey Island regional board)

Thank you VERY much for the insight. I never knew that, and it's something that all countries must take to heart when working with this resolution. Ansteorra feels if this passes how it is, then that will happen. However, if the resolution is drafted with the measures in place, then the larger countries cannot employ their human resources.

At this point, doesn't look like much of a chance to stop this UN takeover. That's why I've resigned from the UN to avoid this law being thrust upon my nation.

-- although such laws would be virtually unenforceable, thus fairly pointless.



While we have opposed the proposal, it looks like the narrow minded corporate view of the world is once again making its destructive presence felt. Information is free. We are amused at the thought of the proposed 'agency' enforcing any such 'law' in our nation - nothing more.

Moist Regards

http://www.benovision.co.uk/NS/FJethoscopes.jpg
Felix Jethoscopes
Shiree herald to the UN

Good points...

This law would infringe on the sovereignty of nations over trade, and give powerful nations more control over international trade.

What we would like to know is where is all this money is comng from to make these comitties and sub-comitties that this bill demands. I hope the UN does not expect a donation from us.
Also we would like to know how far the UN is going to go in order to enforce this bill. If the copy right law is broken will nations be penalized with stiff fines? If the member nation does not pay the fines will the member nation be kicked out of the UN, or worse yet, be declaired war upon? It does not make sense to us that a UN member should be kicked out of such an organization for some thing as silly as a copy right laws.
Although increased international trade and standardized copy right laws would greatly increase my nation's wealth, I feel that this bill is not specific enough. Without actually looking at the details of the copy right law Warmongaria will not radify anything.

Again, this resolution is too vague for Ansteorra to even consider. We are at the mercy of further deliberation - with the most human resources provided by the largest countries. Even though Ansteorra IS a large country, this is simply unacceptable for the benefit of the world community.

Vote against this resolution, and we will craft a more specific resolution on copyright law that the large countries can NOT take advantage of.

---Post deleted by NationStates Moderators---

Why would you vote for such a terrible bill that allows major nations to take control of yours?

Mataradesh is a new nation, and yet it is able to see what damage this law can do to global order. My acceptance to the UN is pending, but I feel as if this law, if it is enforced in Mataradesh, will lead to nothing but subversion of its people and confusion for the entire global community. Its wording is poor, and it doesn't make it clear what exactly is going to solve this problem of copyrights. If Mataradesh were already a member of the UN, it would most emphatically vote against it, but since it is not able to do this, it urges all other nations to consider the resolution carefully before voting for it.

The UCPL is possibly the worst proposal that has been approved since we joined the UN. It creates a new bureaucratic crap on many nations (especially on Anarchist ones like ours), it makes us waste money on a useless thing that opposes freedom of information, it makes people work where they don't need to, it makes us vulnerable to the external capitalist exploitation, it goes against each nation's sovereignity, it is a waste of time, and it made many nations quit the UN.

I think is time to care more about the UN to avoid this things.