CI seeks to harness the collective voice and effectiveness of consumer groups working around the world and across issue sectors, to guarantee that consumer interests are adequately represented in national and global debates around intellectual property (IP) and communications rights, and thereby to serve as a catalyst for policy change, by putting pressure on governments and international organisations to develop more balanced IP and communications regimes.
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Peruvian consumer group voices concern over the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Wed, 22/05/2013 - 03:20
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40 Crisólogo CáceresThe consumer movement in Peru has voiced concern that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement could threaten the rights of the most vulnerable members of society.

The proposed agreement, which is undergoing a 17th round of negotiations  in Lima until 24 May, would require signatory countries to forego a range of consumer protection measures, according to spokesman Crisólogo Cáceres from Peruvian consumer group ASPEC.

Joint civil society closing intervention at the World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Sat, 18/05/2013 - 08:57
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38 ITUMy name is Matthew Shears. I am an IEG member and I am speaking on behalf of my IEG colleagues:

  • Nnenna Nwakanma
  • Avri Doria
  • Deborah Brown
  • Wolfgang Kleinwachter

I am also speaking on behalf of the following civil society organisations and individuals:

Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) - ASPEC explains the position of Peruvian consumers

Submitted by Crisólogo Cáceres on Fri, 17/05/2013 - 08:21
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37 TPP press conferenceThe Peruvian Association of Consumers and Users (ASPEC) participated in the press conference where various organizations of civil society in the most varied sectors - labor, communicators, consumer, environmental, etc - domestic and foreign, explained their objections in relation to the trade agreement that has been under negotiation treaty called Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP by its acronym in English) whose seventeenth round of negotiation has been initiated in Lima and will continue until May 24.

New coalition to TPP negotiators: This is what a Fair Deal looks like

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Thu, 16/05/2013 - 10:23
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36 Fair Deal Coalition logoToday, a coalition of organisations representing a diversity of interests have come together from around the world to ask for A Fair Deal on intellectual property (IP) in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).

Fighting for a voice at the World Telecommunications Policy Forum (WTPF)

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Wed, 15/05/2013 - 05:32
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35 ITUThis week Consumers International is representing the consumer movement at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum and the ITU's World Telecommunications Policy Forum (WTPF). The ITU is one of two institutions (along with the TPP, which also has a meeting this week) that we have been targetting with advocacy for improvement of its openness and transparency.

How lobbyists cloak themselves as consumers to push a corporate agenda

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Tue, 09/04/2013 - 03:51
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The consumer movement is trusted and respected for its role as an impartial watchdog, which allows it to fearlessly hold governments and businesses to account for infringing consumers' rights. But this trust and respect is a valuable commodity, and businesses would do anything to get a piece of it.

How the Trans-Pacific Partnership impacts digital consumers

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Fri, 15/03/2013 - 03:54
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34 USTR logoThe 16th round of negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership wrapped up in Singapore this week, and according to the official press release the intellectual property chapter is one of a small number of chapters (along with competition and environment) that remain unresolved, and will be the focus of the remaining negotiating rounds.

Update from the 16th round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership in Singapore

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Thu, 07/03/2013 - 06:05

33 Jeremy Malcolm speaking, with Jane Kelsey, at TPP press conferenceThe 16th round of the Trans-Pacific partnership negotiations is underway this week and next in Singapore, and Consumers International is participating actively – or at least, as actively as we can, given the closed nature of the negotiations. Only one day of the negotiations is officially open to the public, and all other events are independently stakeholder-organised.

Consumers in the Information Society 2013: Rights, Justice, Connection

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Fri, 01/03/2013 - 03:40

Consumers in the Information Society: Rights, Justice Connection was attended by 26 member representatives from around the world, as a platform for organisational empowerment and information exchange around the most pressing current issues that concern consumers in the digital age.

The evolution of Internet governance - beyond Internet freedom

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Mon, 18/02/2013 - 08:56
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32 AnonymousLast year's ITU WCIT conference inflamed the community's fears of the extension of intergovernmental control over the Internet. Whilst this fear was legitimate, an over-emphasis on the ITU can obscure the fact that the Internet is already controlled in undemocratic ways - often by governments, through both national and global processes, but also by corporate interests. It also obscures the fact that government action is sometimes necessary to uphold the rights of Internet users, just as government inaction can sometimes support their freedoms.