FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
MEDIA TALKING POINTS
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Subject:
Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Copyright Limitations and Exceptions
Date/Version: 6 August 2012, version 1
Talking Points
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We are aware of allegedly leaked text on copyright limitations and exceptions from the
Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).
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Australia supports a high-quality, balanced intellectual property chapter in the TPP
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Australia’s position in the intellectual property chapter has been, and continues to be,
informed by a wide range of stakeholder views and perspectives.
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Copyright limitations and exceptions are still under negotiation
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revised text on copyright limitations and exceptions has been tabled as recently as the
last round, in July 2012
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Australia is giving careful consideration to all proposals.
If asked: Why is Australia presenting ‘very restrictive text’ in the TPP?
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Australia is not presenting ‘very restrictive text’ in the TPP, as claimed by Knowledge
Ecology International
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Australia supports copyright limitations and exceptions in the TPP that are consistent
with our existing international obligations
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and we would not accept an outcome in the TPP that reduces the scope of
copyright limitations and exceptions provided under international agreements to
which Australia is a party.
If asked: Is Australia’s position in the TPP seeking to prejudge the outcome of the ALRC’s
Inquiry into Copyright and the Digital Economy?
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No. Australia would not accept an outcome in the TPP that reduces our present flexibility to
enact copyright limitations and exceptions in Australian domestic law
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including in relation to the digital environment
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these limitations and exceptions are essential for maintaining a balanced
intellectual property system in the 21st century.
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