Leaked Trans-Pacific Partnership Provisions Would 'Undermine Public Interest Rules,' EFF Says

A recently leaked portion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership purports to show provisions that would “enable multinational corporations to undermine public interest rules through an international tribunal process called investor state dispute settlement (ISDS),” the Electronic Frontier Foundation said in a blog post Wednesday. The authenticity of the leaked documents couldn't be independently confirmed. “Under this process, foreign companies can challenge any new law or government action at the federal, state, or local level, in a country that is a signatory to the agreement,” it said. That has implications for intellectual property, EFF said. The leaked text said the provisions don't "apply to copyright and patent rules as long as those rules are 'consistent with' the TPP's Intellectual Property Chapter" and the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement, said EFF. "This means that the agreement gives the ISDS court the ability to interpret national compliance with the provisions of the TPP, a dangerous proposition given the partisan nature of the ISDS courts."