The rage against America's SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) may have only just subsided, but indications are that yet another copyright dust up is about to take place here as the Office of the United States Trade Representative negotiates a trade agreement with New Zealand.
Called the Transpacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), it not only covers trade in goods and services but also includes a section on intellectual property. TPP isn't only being aimed at New Zealand; it's also being negotiated with Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Peru, the US, and Vietnam.
Trade agreements may seem like an unlikely way for the US to foist their copyright laws onto other countries, but the US has long used trade agreements to extend the reach of its laws beyond its own borders.
ACTA (the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) is the most high profile example, causing significant political fall-out in Poland, and now the Australian Pirate party has demanded that the Australian Government reject it outright.
While TPP doesn't yet contain anything specifically relating to copyright, indications are that there is a big push on to ensure that TPP incorporates some pretty tough provisions that are designed to protect intellectual property.