Michael Geist - Canadian Students Speak Out on Copyright

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Canadian Students Speak Out on Copyright

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Canadian Students Speak Out on Copyright

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Wednesday May 24, 2006

The Canadian Federation of Students, which represents more than 500,000 university and college students across Canada, has released a public letter to Ministers Oda and Bernier on copyright reform. The CFS identifies five issues of concern.

Anti-circumvention legislation - the CFS recognizes the dangers associated with DRM and argues that if the government is to legislate in the area, that it adopt a minimalist approach
ISP liabiliity - the CFS supports the "notice and notice" approach
Fair use - the CFS calls for an expansion of fair dealing toward a U.S. style fair use system
Digital Loans and Learning - the CFS advocates for provisions that support the use of the network without the additional burdens imposed by Bill C-60 that would have turned librarians into digital locksmiths
Statutory Damages - the CFS wants the statutory damages reformed so that educators and students are not forced into settlements due to risk of enormous liability arising from the statutory damages provisions

The CFS position, which I think hits on precisely the right issues, is noteworthy for two reasons. First, it suggests some differing perspectives from within the education community as the CFS does not touch the education Internet exception that the CMEC has actively promoted. I think this is a good thing as fair use combined with a minimalist TPM approach would be far better for the Canadian education community.

Second, the CFS notes that it wants a broad consultation on digital copyright since students did not previously participate in copyright consultations. Combined with the recent moves from the CMCC and privacy groups, this is yet another example of copyright stakeholders who are coming to the table for the first time. The CFS, representing 500,000 students who vote, deserve a prominent place in the copyright reform discussions.

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nexxtech said:

Windows-only Media PC
theinquirer.net/?article=24638

Hardware DRM scheme requires a "trusted" OS, currently only Windows, or it won't run.

Forget about recompiling your Linux kernel, unless it's in a Windows virtual machine.

Forget about having the kind of trust of your computer that you get with free and open source software.

May 25, 2006

Justin said:

This is Free Culture activism
With an ear to the ground, I hear the footsteps of a Free Culture movement (http://www.freeculture.org) taking charge in Canada. I hope those concerned about these types of issues can unite in campuses across Canada and form Free Culture chapters nation-wide.

Justin Barca
of Free Culture Carleton (http://carleton.freeculture.org)

May 30, 2006

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Tags:c-60, canadian federation of students, cfs, copyright reform, fair use, tpmShare: Slashdot, Digg, Del.icio.us, Newsfeeder, Reddit, StumbleUpon, TwitterEmail Print PDFWednesday May 24, 2006

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