The US TPPA draft also seeks to toughen restrictions on technology designed to circumvent technological protection mechanisms such as digital rights management, which restrict use of copyright material.

New Zealand's Copyright Act as currently worded allows such devices to be imported or supplied for the purpose of circumventing TPMs to assist a "permitted act" such as research or review.

The US paper would also permit owners of intellectual property rights to impose restrictions on parallel importing -- legal in New Zealand, Shera says.

See also