TPP is going to screw the Pokemon community over

Having one of your Pokemon shadow-tagged by a Gengar is bad
but TPP Shadow Tagging your Internet is worse!

Hey whats up fellow Poketubers and PokemonShowdowners, this is me
Himiko and I am going to discuss how TPP is going to screw the livelihood
of the Pokemon competitive community.

What is TPP?

TPP: Acronym for Trans Pacific Partnership

	It is a secretive trade agreement being negotiated by over 10 countries
Notable negotiators that one must pay attention to are Canada,
USA and Japan
Canada because they basically followed the USA's tail in key policy issues such
as intellectual property. USA because copyright policies in the United States
shape the context for global copyright laws
and Japan because of the anime industry's opposition against TPP.
This is because in Japan to break into the manga industry one writes fan manga
called doujinshi to showcase their talents.
Contained in the TPP are broad provisions ranging from intellectual property
to agriculture. I will be focusing on how the IP (intellectual property) provisions
will seek to destroy the basis of the Pokemon competitive community if it passes.

	If TPP passes, governments and media corporations can fine you for your Internet usage.
That means, under TPP such parties can take down whole websites and even disconnect you from the Internet.
Therefore, TPP will provide ISPs the power to scrutinize your personal data without a warrant while criminalizing
your everyday online activities in the process. These provisions are broad enough to raise the alarm bells of online
advocacy groups such as OpenMedia and EFF.


How TPP will affect the Pokemon community

TPP will:

	*Prevent fans from appreciating the content of their favourite Poketubers and the Pokemon franchise. This is because the website blocking sections of the agreement will block uploaders' and viewer's access to YouTube. In effect, fans will be arrested for just viewing a video of their favourite Poketubers or discussing topics relevant of the Pokemon franchise.

	*In turn, the viewer base of Poketubers will shrink because more and more fans will not have access to YouTube because TPP will make the Internet more expensive and policed. Under TPP, it will be a crime for Pokemon Showdown players and Poketubers to educate their friends and viewers about the competitive metagame through personal communications and video uploads. .

	* In addition, considering that the average age demographic of Poketubers and PokemonShowdoen players is 19 to 24 years old then one can assume that there are some students in that demographic category. With this in mind, TPP will make it a crime for students to employ the Internet to do their homework by not only cutting student's Internet connections off but also blocking "educational content" such as access to academic journals and Khan Academy. Moreover to the Pokemon competitive community educational content is not only restricted to academic content but also the commentary associated with Pokemon Showdown and Pokemon wifi battles [VGC and Smogon related battles alike] as well as moveset videos on specific threats of each tier.

	* Should this paranoia run its course, TPP will undermine the sales of Pokemon videogames and videogames in general because Poketubers are required to foster appreciation for the Pokemon franchise. Moreover, the Lets plays of Pokemon videogames are required to inform consumers of the content of the game that they intend to purchase. TPP will undermine the ability of Poketubers to inform their audiences regarding each videogame in the franchise and also the possibilities of alternate funding models to make the activities of the Pokemon community more sustainable.

	* Furthermore, if TPP passes Hollywood can block the sites to ROM files which are crucial for LPers to broadcast their content. However even buying the official game itself does not grant you immunity, TPP will illegalize the HD-PVR and Capture Cards needed to record video game footage.

Direction that TPP is going on right now

	TPP was supposed to pass in 2012. That being said however, due to efforts of advocacy
groups such as OpenMedia and EFF as well as resistance through protests all
over places such as Japan and Australia, negotiators have yet to reach a conclusion
on key issues such as intellectual property. In addition, desperate to pass the agreement
with little debate on such issues in as rapid of a matter as possible, the Obama administration
is seeking to abuse Fast Track Authority to fast track the TPP and prevent any amendment to any of its
provisions. Therefore it is very crucial that the Pokemon community to mount resistance against
trade agreements such as the TPP as they seek to criminalize everyday online activities such as surfing YouTube
and checking your Facebook timeline. This is because under TPP, the abuse of copyright laws to shut down speech over the Internet will be legitimized. In sum, the risks of the TPP outweigh the benefits. As a result it is appropriate to outline what the Pokemon community can do to voice their opposition against the trade agreement.

What the Poketubers and PokemonShowdowners alike can do

	*Voice opposition against TPP through their video uploads and also talk about the TPP and other digital policy issues with fellow battlers on PokemonShowdown. Moreover, Poketubers can deploy the comments sections of their uploads to engage their audience with such issues.

	*American Poketubers/PokemonShowdowners can further voice their opposition by phoning their member of Congress and also expressing their concerns by writing to them via email. Likewise Canadian Poketubers/PokemonShowdowners can go along the same vein, phoning their Members of Parliament regarding the TPP or emailing them.

	* For those who are more tech-savvy, those individuals through either text posts or online videos or a combination of both can discuss possible techniques of encrypting their communications online. That way they can at least attempt to preserve their online privacy while keeping their communication more secure. By making such techniques aware to their audience, at least they don't leave their data exposed by governments and corperations alike because essentially encryption makes it more difficult for these parties to inspect data.

	*Moreover, these tech-savvy individuals who have solid programming skills can go even further by deploying their skills to devise innovative encryption protocols and security measures. With that in mind, these people can employ innovative thinking to protect the Pokemon community by not only employing video uploads and online chats to engage others but also share their encryption implementations so such communications remain secure.

Conclusion

	Ultimately, it is clear that the overarching intellectual property provisions of the TPP will destroy the activities that form the base of the Pokemon community. As discussed earlier TPP will illegalize the access to ROM files and other websites that can be possible content for Poketubers. Furthermore, if TPP passes we can see the shrinking of the Poketuber's viewer and subscriber base as well as the shrinkage of the amount of competitive Pokemon players under the agreement's website blocking and takedown provisions. In the time of writing, Nintendo or GameFreak has yet to file a cease or desist order against independently implemented Pokemon simulator PokemonShowdown, however TPP will certainly provide Nintendo or GameFreak with such an oppurtunity. It is therefore crucial from the Pokemon community to voice their opposition against such practices because TPP will deal a massive blow to novel forms of cultural expression and undermine freedom of expression online.