Parma ham, Cognac and Roquefort cheese could become caught up in  a political side-show  in the Brexit talks following a European Commission  position paper on intellectual property rights (IPR). The issue relates to Geographical Indications, which are specific  rights pertaining to these and other food and wine products, and a demand from the EU for new British legislation.  The timing  of the demand  -  in a  position paper on IP rights -  is curious, and it has exposed an unexpected sensitivity in the Brexit negotiations.  Why you might ask, does this matter at all?

Read more: Parma ham exposes Brexit sensitivity over IP rights

An esoteric intellectual property right granted to a small pastry product leads us to the epicentre of the geopolitics of Brexit.

Britain’s international trade Minister Liam Fox let slip last week in a BBC Radio interview  that his US trade talks will include intellectual property rights (IPR).  The inclusion of IPR is not a surprise to seasoned watchers of the international trade agenda, but the implications for British businesses might be. Brexit means  that some IP rights  will fall away, such as geographical indicators which protect local British products like the Cornish pasty. There will be political choices for the British government. Those choices will be shaped by the wider geo-political forces between the EU and the US.  

Read more: IP Brexit: Will Liam Fox protect the Cornish pasty?

How far  does the French-British action plan against terrorism on the Internet impose new liabilities on Internet companies? Where does an upload filter become prior censorship?

When Theresa May met the French President Emmanuel Macron  in June this year they agreed a joint proposal to suppress terrorist content content on the Internet. They vowed to work together to block content, freeze user accounts and get access to encrypted content. This would involve stay down measures and access  to personal data behind IP addresses. The plan  has received little coverage, no doubt overshadowed by much bigger geo-political agendas. In this post, I consider how the Franco-British Action Plan puts pressure on Internet intermediaries and raises questions  for human rights online.

Read more: Macron-May Internet deal: necessary measures or prior restraint?