DU was way ahead of the curve- and you ain't seen nothing yet.

[starroute]

23. The intellectual property provisions are among the worst

They wouldn't just extend copyright terms in all the signatories to the current ridiculous US limits. They would also affect patents -- especially on drugs. They would allow the drug companies to keep extending patents by slight changes in how a drug is presented (for example, from a pill to a capsule). They would send drug prices soaring, especially in countries that have so far found ways around the dominance of the US pharmaceutical industry.

They would also incorporate the framework of the Digital Millennial Copyright Act, under which all it takes is one unsubstantiated claim of copyright infringement to get nervous service providers to remove online content. (As apparently just happened with the uproarious "Grownup Wednesday Addams" parodies.)

They might criminalize any circumventing of digital rights management technologies. (And since the auto industry is currently trying to apply DRM claims to keep people from repairing their own cars, you could wind up doing jail time for working in your own garage.)

And although the provisions on fair use are contentious and it isn't clear what will be in the final draft, it's becoming obvious that the entertainment industry would like to do away with fair use almost entirely -- which could even affect our right to quote from articles here at DU for purposes of discussion and criticism.