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Enhanced Cooperation in Internet policy making - statement at CSTD meeting in Geneva

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Fri, 18/05/2012 - 03:53
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14 UN logoMy name is Romain Houéhou, from the African ICT Consumer Network, and also representing Consumers International today. Consumers International is the worldwide federation of consumer groups with 220 members in 115 countries.

Drowning in Codes of Conduct

Submitted by David Vaile on Fri, 11/05/2012 - 07:06
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In Australia as in many other countries, online services are a lightly-regulated industry, in which codes of conduct rather than laws are relied upon to protect consumers.  On World Consumer Rights Day this year, the UNSW Law Faculty Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre released a report: "Drowning in Codes of Conduct: An analysis of codes of conduct applying to online activity in Australia" which suggests this self regulatory approach to online consumer protection, rights and interests online is not nece

2012 USTR Special 301 Report blind to weaknesses of IP regime

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Tue, 01/05/2012 - 02:21

13 USTR logoThe United States Trade Representative (USTR) Special 301 Report for 2012 has just been released, one week after CI's own IP Watchlist.

2012 IP Watchlist released

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Mon, 23/04/2012 - 00:00

12 Wired bookConsumers International's IP Watchlist 2012 is our annual global survey revealing how fair the world's intellectual property laws and enforcement practices are for consumers. This year, thirty countries from around the world are rated, with neighbours Israel and Jordan placing respectively top and bottom. The best-rated countries tend to be those with the broadest copyright limitations, that allow enough room for innovative reuse of content, and the free use of IP goods within a close circle of family and friends.

UNCTAD XIII

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Sun, 22/04/2012 - 11:40

Global civil society has issued a declaration at the quadrennial UNCTAD meeting in Doha today, strongly advocating for UNCTAD to move forward on updating the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection. The statement, which also covers a broad range of other issues ranging from finance to climate change, contains the following paragraph, referencing the eight consumer rights:

Consumers in the Information Society: Access, Fairness and Representation

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Mon, 19/03/2012 - 10:04

In her opening speech at Consumers in the Information Society, Consumers International's Director-General Helen McCallum introduced

New perspective offers consumers relief from painful intellectual property abuse

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Thu, 08/03/2012 - 06:29
  • Expert says national laws can and should be enacted to protect consumers from intellectual property abuse
  • Calls for further intellectual property protection for consumers through a stronger international instrument

A new interpretation of a major global intellectual property (IP) agreement could offer consumers relief from abusive practices such as unfair claims of copyright infringement according to Dr George Yijun Tiani, a leading expert in the fiel

The Internet Blueprint: A positive copyright reform proposal from the US

Submitted by Rashmi Rangnath on Tue, 06/03/2012 - 16:54
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The popular backlash against SOPA and PIPA revealed a deep discontent among people, both in the U.S. and in other parts of the world, at the way copyright policy is formulated, the interests it seeks to advance, and the means it uses to advance them. This popular energy can and should be used not only to prevent harmful initiatives like SOPA and PIPA but also to bring about positive changes in copyright law and policy.

FIJI - Broadband customers face unfair rates changeover

Submitted by CCOF on Tue, 14/02/2012 - 04:18
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Connect, which holds substantial market power in internet services in Fiji recently announced new packages for residential and business broadband subscribers. The ISP which is subsidiary of Fiji's monopoly fixed-line telecommunications provider Telecom Fiji has set unfair conditions for consumers one of which is automatically moving customers to the new packages and removing their free Connect email address. This is the first press release on the matter issued by the Consumer Council of Fiji.

CI submission to 2012 USTR Special 301 Review

Submitted by Jeremy Malcolm on Fri, 10/02/2012 - 11:10
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The past twelve months have seen growing global discontent over the priority shown in US foreign policy to the interests of intellectual property holders, over broader public interests in access to knowledge, access to medicines, and communications rights.

This discontent has been fueled by the justifiable perception that the voice of ordinary consumers is often trivialised and dismissed by US policymakers.  Consumers feel that their legitimate concerns will never be given any weight against the submissions of the well-funded IP-holder lobby groups.