IITP's Ian Taylor Keeps Close Eye on TPP
The tech sector has reason to be grateful to IITP's President, Ian Taylor, for recently raising serious concerns about the Trans Pacific Partnership and seeking Government assurances.
Ian Taylor is not the only sector leader aggrieved at "comments made suggesting that those questioning the TPP negotiation process [are] naïve and motivated by ideology rather than the good of the country."
In his 10th August letter to Hon. Tim Groser, Minister of Trade, he said:
"We share your view that free trade is essential for a prosperous export-driven economy. However our industry is fast-moving and changing rapidly, and what you might perceive as a minor concession in TPP negotiations could have a major and significant impact on our sector. I’m writing to ensure that you’re aware of the possible implications for the software industry if, for example, NZ agrees to trade away our country’s exclusion of software patents."
Having subsequently met with the TPP negotiators, IITP is now in a position to say:
"Overall, if the assurances are borne out in the detail and no other fish-hooks found, we're cautiously optimistic about the impact of TPP on the tech sector. But we're still pretty grumpy about the secrecy aspects and want to see this changed for future negotiations."