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e-commerce | digital economy

Free trade, the new con trick
7-Jun-2005
It is two years since the US and Australia signed a so-called free trade agreement, and it is nearly 60 years since George Orwell introduced the concept of "newspeak", which describes how politicians often subvert language to make it mean the opposite of what it says.
Music case to test US-Australia FTA laws
22-Mar-2005
The music industry’s legal assault on BitTorrent file sharing will provide the first major test of new laws designed to limit ISPs’ liability for copyright breaches by their customers.
Technology: China FTA more sweet than sour for tech firms
21-Feb-2005
Despite concerns over piracy, New Zealand IT firms are licking their lips over free trade with China.
Net giants seek to change FTA rules
6-Dec-2004 The Australian
Australia’s largest internet service providers have made an 11th-hour bid to amend the free trade agreement with the US, claiming it would expose them to an avalanche of litigation.
Open source joins electioneering
1-Sep-2004
Within 24 hours of a federal election being called, Communications and IT minister Helen Coonan has swapped her contentious campaign to offshore government IT services for a warm and fuzzy embrace of home-grown open source software to woo the penguin vote.
Australian Linux bodies blast US free-trade deal
11-Aug-2004 Australian Linux bodies blast US free-trade deal
Australia’s national open source industry body, OSIA (Open Source Industry Australia), and Linux Australia have spoken out about their concerns over the proposed Australian-US Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA), warning that the legal framework of the intellectual property clauses will put the entire Australian software development industry at risk.
Software groups warn of FTA dangers
7-Aug-2004 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2...
The US-Australia Free Trade Agreement poses a grave threat to the entire Australian software development industry due to the legal framework on intellectual property which is required upon adoption of the pact, the Open Source Industry Association and Linux Australia have warned.
Big FTA stoush brewing on copyright
30-Jun-2004
A full-scale political stoush is brewing over intellectual property provisions in the Australia-US free trade agreement following the passage of enabling legislation last week.