The U.S. may have gotten its Canadian copyright bill, but that hasn't stopped officials from continuing their campaign of unjustifiably slamming Canadian law. This week U.S. Consul-General Lewis Lukens told a conference audience that "Canada's current [intellectual property rights] protection may well be the weakest of any G-8 country, partly because it has failed to ratify and implement well-established international Internet treaties." In stating the G-8, Lukens is claiming that Canadian law is weaker than those in Russia.
U.S. Consul-General Claims Canadian Copyright Weakest in G-8
Tags: c-61 / canada / copyright / Copyright Canada / copyright for canadians / lewis lukens / United States / WIPO
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I think a lot of people were completely caught off-guard by the way the government handles issues that they want to play in their favor. It just so happens that the issue of copyright is something that we are all very aware of and now we just happen to see what the government does when they want something. I for one was not really involved in Canadian politics until recent months. I would follow the Obama/Clinton primaries more than our own politics. But the recent events have hit really close to home and I think the same has happened to a lot of people. The government probably didn\’t expect this kind of response back in December. They probably expected this bill to be passed quietly like a lot of other bills do. This lack of public consultation probably happens on a regular basis without even the media noticing it.
As much as I think what our government is trying to do to us is terrible, I think these events are good in the sense that it\’s a wake up call for us to be involved in politics and not to trust someone just because you voted for them. With the amount of coverage of negative responses to this bill, I don\’t think it will pass… but if it does I really think it will have a huge impact on activism and public involvement towards this bill and future bills.
We need to keep fighting this. The government doesn\’t care about the average Canadian, but they are affraid of us because we hold the power to make of break these politicians.
If the new copyright law is good enough for the Americans, than gol-durnit, it’s good enough for me!
When will the Canadian government finally stand up for itself and tell the US to shut up?!
human rights
Who cares what U.S.A. think about Canada (we are ahead in many other things such as human rights: they still execute people as in any country they consider “evil”). If we do not comply to their whim what they are going to do “nuke us”?
And in which country did AllOfMP3, MP3Sparks and MemphisMembers originate? Oh, yes, Russia. And all three entities were legal in Russia. What was that about weaker IP rights than Russia?
Why should Canada give a toss…
…what other governments, particularly the US, think of their laws?
Gee you Canadians must feel pwned by your Southern overlords. Revolt!
Thank God
Thank God law is \\\”weaker\\\” here. I certainly don\\\’t want to live in the effective police state that exists in Russia, and currently in the US. The quasi-state that is growing here in Canada is bad enough.