The ACTA agreement was pushed through negotiations last year in secrecy. Negotiators and industry representatives were allowed to see drafts, but the public was denied access. Fortunately, documents were leaked....and showed how bad ACTA was going to be for the Internet.
The USTR is now trying to exclude the public from knowing what is being discussed in the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. After several public interest groups scheduled meetings at the same hotel where the TPP talks are being held (Jan 31 - Feb 4), the USTR pressured the hotel into cancelling the reservations.
Last year, some versions of the TPP's IP text was leaked; its provisions went beyond even those in ACTA. The USTR should not be allowed to exclude the American public from discussions that are so far-reaching