Internet Association Hails Trilateral Trade Pact, Worries Copyright Terms Fall Short

The Internet Association has joined tech groups hailing the trilateral trade agreement the Trump administration reached last weekend with Canada and Mexico (see 1810020035 or 1810020001) but is concerned the deal’s copyright provisions fall short, said CEO Michael Beckerman Wednesday. The digital-trade provisions “will promote and protect U.S. digital exports and support millions of American jobs,” said Beckerman. Digital trade benefits “businesses of all sizes in every industry, and this agreement reflects key parts of U.S. law that have created a $160 billion American digital trade surplus,” he said. “In the copyright area, however, the agreement includes only a portion of the core U.S. legal framework.” IA hopes the administration will include "key provisions in U.S. law like fair use-style rights."