Don’t be sad people and thanks for the support to those o/s for your kind words to us in Australia and yes here it is again: (louder) EVERYONE HAS NOT GOT THE PBS LIKE A BAG OF LOLLIES HANDED OUT IN AUSTRALIA WE NEED GENERICS TOO. Ty.
Now I have said that for the hundredth time…..

Re this internet access issue, I hinted at it in my reply when I said VOIP and mentioned Netflix, ie; there are ways around everything it’s a matter of spending time working it out.
Beaches virtually explained how without listing the names of the best proxys, VPNs.
We can get around this.
Aussies get someone to assist you if necessary because this is our forum yes we deserve access. There’s information out there available to non IT geeks with how to info.
Some charge a monthly fee some are free. You can stream just about anything from just about anywhere.

And then hope that we don’t get into trouble for breaking some silly law. Covering James back is most important. I urge us to all be mindful of his integrity and be circumspect.

As to this interesting question “who complained”
It could easily be anyone on this forum; reality check. I’m well aware of the risks of this forum. It’s fantastic yes, but it also contains personal stories and I recall the times very lovely people have been hassled just for no reason by other members. So who complained? Well likely an Australian. But we don’t really know who is behind the words and it could be anyone. It could be Gilead. It could be a Govt run Org. We don’t know

I feel the main thing to remember is that we need to be respectful of Dr J.

Ariel

Like I said earlier, the content of this site can be posted anywhere, and as GT elaborated there are ways around the geoblock. It’s interesting to me, because in USA we get ads on prime time TV from the pharma companies. Harvoni is advertised almost daily!

I’ll just say this, and let me preface this remark by saying I hope I am completely wrong, but I think once TPP goes through there is going to be a real shit storm over these generics.

I see my blog here has over 4000 views, I hope that maybe 200 people in USA were able to feel confident enough to get generics from that. So at a discounted rate of $50,000, that means Gilead lost out on $10 million in revenue. They are not going to stand pat and not try and do something, and multiply my efforts by 1000 from this site and that is $10 billion USD they lost.

Fuck em!

So if I write to the TGA they’re going to have to geoblock all Gilead’s ads like the above aren’t they?

Online. You’re in the US aren’t you GF? Yeah, make no mistake about it. This is pure censorship.

I’d been thinking what a stretch it is to call talking about Sofosbuvir advertising when, ATM, there is no competition.

Well other than having HepC.

How come I never see any ads telling me why chronic HepC is so much better than Sofosbuvir?

The TGA is Australia’s equivalent to the FDA

Unfortunately, in the modern world of murky large political donations by vested interest groups, whoever pays the piper calls the tune … ick:' />

I have not seen the ad but then I don’t watch much commercial TV

I’ve been running variously themed diatribes in my mind for hours now, but it won’t help the immediate situation. So for now I’ll only make three points and move on to the real issues we need to address.

1) This is about as clear cut an example of Regulatory Capture as I’ve seen in a long while.

because

2) There can be little doubt that this is taking place due to pressure brought by either the pharmaceutical lobby directly (read that as “Gilead” or by some butt hurt gastro doc or other specialist within the establishment. No member or former poster on this forum would go to these lengths to damage this forum … (not even the one that immediately pops into your and my mind, Ms. Chester :whistle

3) The current Vice-President* Secretary of State of the United States of America, John #&*%!ng Kerry, is, and has long been, advocating for the entire internet to be placed under the regulatory authority of the United Nations. I’m not even going to bother trying to explain why this would be one of the worst disasters ever to befall mankind.

*I guess I was still too worked up to be thinking clearly.
In my own defense, Biden is completely forgettable … lol.
Thanks Matt
________________________________________________

On to the immediate issues. I think the solution may be simpler than is being currently contemplated.

James, some immediate questions to explore …

1) Is WebMD geoblocked in Australia? (or any other website in the US, UK, France, Germany, etc. where medical discussion/promotion are allowed) Does Australia block access to HepMag and its forums and blogs? Are Google searches of such information filtered in Australia as they are in China?

I’m pretty sure the Australian authorities recognize that their authority stops at the border. And I can’t imagine them introducing draconian (Chinese) web blocking technologies.

2) Would there be any penalty available to the Australian authorities to punish you if you were to write articles for WebMD or similar sites outside of Australia? (Whether your article itself advocated particular drugs/procedures or if other writers on the site did, or if the site allowed ads to appear … Gilead’s ads are ever-present on most web forums or medical advice sites whenever “Hep C” is put into the search.)

I’m pretty sure any work done outside of their physical authority boundaries are beyond their reach, but this one needs to be determined clearly. Can you, or can you not, produce content for sites outside of Australia that would not be allowed within Australia?

3) Would there be any Australian laws disallowing you to take an ownership interest in WebMD or its parent company? (Or similar sites.)

4) Would there be any Australian laws disallowing you to have a management or other decision making position at WebMD, its parent company, or similar sites?

After determining the answers to those questions the solutions become clear, and likely don’t require any form of geoblocking.
_________________________________________

Solutions:

I suspect all that’s necessary to remove their authority is
a) to physically place the server outside their reach, and
b) place the ownership vehicle, the corporate entity, outside their authority.

If they can still prosecute you for being the web site manager, then hand off technical authority to some trusted party outside of Australia … Alsdad maybe.

If they can still get you for having an ownership interest then hand off ownership to some other entity … maybe Doctors Without Borders … and require them to leave either you or your hand chosen person in administrative authority of the site.

Really, I don’t think Gilead’s little gambit here of putting a thumb on Australian regulators is all that bright. I have long suspected that Gilead is run by a bunch of snotty nosed, silver-spoon, Ivy League idiots. You can out maneuver them.