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Anti-Canadian DMCA Momentum Begins to Build

The Canadian DMCA may not be introduced until next week (Tuesday is the rumoured day), but many are not waiting until the bill comes to make their views known.  Over the past few days, there has been an incredible amount of action and growing media coverage.  This includes:

  • Letters to Prentice – many Canadians taking the time to write to their MP and Ministers Prentice and Verner.  Several people have posted their letters, which may help those who want to write but are not sure where to begin.  Examples here, here, here, and here.  Online Rights Canada has a sample form and the Fair Copyright For Canada Facebook group has many more examples.
  • Online Video – the Stop the Canadian DMCA video.
  • Media coverage – coverage from ComputerWorld, CityTV (full interview here) and Rabble.ca.
  • New coalitionsConsoleSource.com has created a new page being used by many others in its industry.
  • The Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook Group – launched just five days ago, the group has now surpassed 5,300 members.

There is much more to be done, but it is becoming clear that copyright matters to thousands of Canadians and attempts to fast-track a Canadian DMCA will result in significant public opposition.

13 Comments

  1. Andrew Butash says:

    I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love this country. This is exactly the kind of public response I was hoping to see. I’m making sure I do my part and send letters to my MP, the ministers and the PM, as well as telling everyone I know about this and inviting them to the Facebook group. Good to know we won’t just roll over as our government sells us out behind our backs.

  2. I want to add, calling our politicians may also help as well. I picked up the phone and spent a few minutes calling Ottawa to talk to people at Minister Prentice office and the Prime Minister Office to express my deep concern. And I even provided the research material I based my reasoning on (i.e. I gave them the website and links to Micheal’s blog and entries).

    I am doing what I can and will see if the government listens.

  3. [ link ]

  4. freshwatermermaid says:

    Chasing their tails
    [ link ]

  5. Graeme Nattress says:

    I like it how
    I like it how they\’re not allowing us to see what they\’re thinking in the bill, trying to push it through before xmas so that people are too busy to comment. The current government doesn\’t seem to believe in open government or democracy, does it….

  6. Thank you for leading us in this fight Dr. Geist. I felt pretty low on Sunday, but since I’ve seen what a tremendous response on the Fair Copyright group on Facebook, I’m feeling a lot better about it! It’s all in the mind-set I guess. We’ll just have to stay determined, and keep firing those letters, faxes, and emails to the government. It’s the only way to let them know we will not stand for any less than “FAIR copyright” law in Canada. Don’t forget to write a letter to the editor of your local paper(s). That helps bring up the issue with people who may not realize what’s at stake here.

  7. not going to pass as we pay a copyright
    i dont see this passing as we pay a Copyright tax (Copyright Levy) for the right to download.

    now if this becomes law will there still be a Copyright levy?? if so then I\’m still f-in downloading since I\’m paying a tax that should not even be there if this becomes law..

    also is the Gov going to give everyone refunds for all who have already paid the levy?? if not then F-Them I say and keep downloading as you want and if you go to court say well I pay/ Paid a Copyright tax for what again????

  8. Keep Up The Copyfight
    Michael – you and Cory Doctorow are heroes.

    It is indeed gratifying to see the public stand up and shout down Jim Prentice and the media lobby in this country. Everyone make some noise!

  9. Indeed
    It’s people like all of you who are part of the reason I want to move to Canada đŸ˜‰

  10. R. Bassett Jr. says:

    Let’s give the country away while we’r
    May as well hand over the country to Cuba tomorrow while they’re at it, because I’m sure they’ll have thought it through just as much as this bill. Seems like a good idea to me, how about the rest of you?

    Not addressing the issues of this bill and pushing it full force despite the sad fact it will kill an entire industry over night (the non iPod mp3 players that don’t come with a download service will be criminal devices, because there isn’t any other way to get music onto them than to rip from a CD, so who in their right mind would buy one?…) sounds a whole lot like another Conservative Government Avro Arrow blunder.

    Wonderful.

    Media execs in the US are about to roll over on their business design to save themselves and to step into the … right now (I suppose one could say), yet here we are in Canada about to buy another batch BOMARC missiles and say “Oh, you wanted to buy how many of our Arrows?”!

    It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that this bill will hurt Canada rather than help it. I suppose that’s a good thing, because we lost most of our aviation industry to NASA and other US firms the last time the Conservatives didn’t think things through and made rash decisions based on pressure from a handful of people south of the border. Why are the Conservatives so willing to kick Canada in the balls and push it down a flight of stairs? It is certainly not funny. Not in the least.

    Seriously though, I will take every single CD, DVD, and other media I own and burn it all in heaping pile in front of the Peace Tower to show my appreciation of this bill. I will then never purchase a single piece of media again for my entire life. Perhaps retailers should burn their mp3 players, TIVO, photo copiers, mp3/video phones, (and the rest of the items that will make the users criminals and the industries that rely upon their sales and service diminished or destroyed) with me, to show their appreciation as well. I would apologize to all of the people who’s jobs depend on my spending habits, but I’m not the one doing the ball kicking here. Nope, that’s the government that so many Canadians voted for under the assumption that they will forward the best interest of our people. Thank them for your unemployment. Thank them for the lack of funding for public works and safety, when our justice system swells beyond the breaking point by frivolous, yet costly lawsuits. Thank them when the disposable income of Canadians goes not to our valued and invaluable retail and service industries, but to a bunch of rich, greedy bastards running the media cartels of North America.

    The government of Canada spends dollars earned by each and every Canadian citizen. The time to hold our government accountable for our dollars has come; We will not stand idly by and watch a boondoggle occur, as it will cost us dearly if we do. Call for a vote of no confidence. Stand and have your voice heard, even if you’re not sure what to say. Stand together and we will send our Canada strongly and surely into the future as a leader in this world. Our time to step out of the shadows of the United States of America into our rightful place as a world leader has come. Let us make our laws the Canadian way! That, my fellow Canadians, is a Christmas gift worth giving. It is also the gift our soldiers and civilian combatants gave and continue to give their lives to protect; We have every reason to, as a people, strike this bill down in the name our country, our constitution, and our children.

    No law so far reaching should be “pushed through” and we all damn well know it.

  11. Another letter
    Here’s the one I sent to my MP:
    [ link ]

  12. Haper Leave Canada ASAP
    Harper is Not for a better Canada..

    Harper is for a Canada to become a better state of the USA..

    so I say HARPER LEAVE CANADA ASAP.

  13. A Better World Network
    Hi everyone,

    After being frustrated with the restrictions on Faceb**k I decided to create my own networking site focused specifically on solution-focused action.

    I truly believe that online social networking is one of the best ways to generate support and learn from each others success.

    I would really like to see your group open a small page there to promote your work and increase the visibility of your work.

    I hope to see you there!

    Yours truly,

    Zoraah