KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23 — The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) can lead to price increases of up to RM1 per page for photocopying students’ reference books as the free trade treaty criminalises copyright violations, an opposition lawmaker claimed today.
Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj from Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) said there was a big possibility that vulture funds — which are the more extreme counterparts of hedge funds that buy debt in danger of default at low prices and insist on repayment at full value — would buy the copyright of several textbooks from the original publisher and subsequently set up franchises of photocopy shops.
Other photocopy shops would then be subject to harsh penalties like imprisonment and fines if they were to violate the copyrights of such books, he said, citing Article 18.77(6)(a) of the TPP.
“It requires the governments of all 12 member countries to enact laws to seize the equipment used to make photocopies,” Jeyakumar told a press conference at the Parliament lobby here.
“‘Ah Long’ parties who own the franchise only need to make allegations against one or two people who do their photocopying through other parties to create their market. The heavy penalties against such ‘offences’ will scare the public and the owners of photocopy shops,” he said.
“Ah Long” is a colloquial term meaning loan sharks.
“Students will be forced to go to the ‘Ah Long’ photocopy shops only to do their photocopying,” he added.
The parliamentary debate of the TPP is expected to take place in January.
