The NDP issued a release yesterday criticizing the government on the revelations found in the Wikileaks cables involving Canada and copyright. The party said the cables paint “an alarming picture.”
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The US Intellectual Property Watch List: The Canadian Perspective
Canada remains on the Priority Watch List. The United States continues to urge Canada to implement its previous commitments to improve its legal framework for IPR protection and enforcement. Unfortunately, Canadian efforts in 2010 to enact long-awaited copyright legislation were unsuccessful. The United States encourages Canada to make the enactment of copyright legislation that addresses the challenges of piracy over the Internet, including by fully implementing the WIPO Internet Treaties, a priority for its new government. The United States encourages Canada to provide for deterrent-level sentences to be imposed for IPR violations, as well as to strengthen enforcement efforts, including at the border. Canada should provide its Customs officials with ex officio authority to effectively stop the transit of counterfeit and pirated products through its territory. U.S. stakeholders have also expressed strong concerns about Canada’s administrative process for reviewing the regulatory approval of pharmaceutical products, as well as limitations in Canada’s trademark regime. The United States appreciates the high level of cooperation between the Canadian and U.S. Governments, and looks forward to continuing engagement on these important issues.
So Canada – a country with intellectual property protections that have been ranked ahead of the U.S., has many copyright rules more restrictive than the U.S., and digital markets growing faster than the U.S. – is once again placed by the U.S. on the watch list while other countries with similar laws are not.
A Wikileaks Cable to Call My Own
Among the Wikileaks cables released on Canada, is one devoted to summarizing a meeting I had with embassy officials in April 2007. At the meeting I noted the shift away from DRM, doubts about camcording claims, and calls for fair use.
Wikileaks Cable: CMPDA Supports Notice-and-Notice System
A Wikileaks cable from 2005 reveals that the Canadian Motion Pictures Distributors Association, the Canadian arm of the MPAA, told the U.S. embassy that it supports the notice-and-notice approach for ISP liability. The cable states that “in CMPDA’s view, the advent of peer-to-peer filesharing has lessened the need for notice-and-takedown, […]
Wikileaks Cable: What Makes for Good Canadian Heritage Minister
A Wikileaks cable discussing the entry of satellite radio into Canada discusses what makes for an effective Canadian Heritage Minister. According to the cable (which criticizes former Canadian Heritage Minister Liza Frulla), “Canadian Heritage ministers must be strong enough to disappoint that core constituency in order to strike compromises with […]