Over the past few months, I've often been asked why the movie industry would pursue anti-camcording legislation if the data was so inconsistent. My response invariably focused on the notion that this was the thin edge of the wedge – an attempt to paint Canada as a piracy haven and push for a whole range of new intellectual property law reforms. With yesterday's confirmation that the government will introduce an anti-camcording bill tomorrow, the Globe and Mail asked Doug Frith, the president of the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association for his reaction to the news. Frith responded by stating that this "is really the first step – not only for the movie industry – where the government has shown it will seriously address the whole area of intellectual property theft."
The First Step
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And, once again, the FUD from industry continues. How do I “steal” Madonna’s intellectual property if I download her song again?
Does she suddenly forget she wrote it?
Do the record companies suddenly start mailing her royalty cheques to me?
Did I steal from Madonna? No.
Did I violate her copyright? Perhaps.
Did I pay for the right/privilige to make a personal copy for myself in this way? It appears so.
Well, their logic is that you steal in the sense that they didn’t get the money you would have paid for that copy had you gotten it through them. Yes it’s not a physical object you received (though you could consider that you could have gotten the actual CD), but there’s still some monetary loss due to the fact that a person has a copy, and they didn’t pay money for it.
They could use better terminology, though. And they could really use to research their target countries better, though that’s hardly going to make their case seem better.
Canadian Taxpayer
Absolutely a wonderful use of my tax dollars. Any suggestions who I should write to, so I can let them know just how appreciative I am?
A thinking Canadian
Arnold: the Sonny Bono of the 21st century. And I value the difference in the Canadian legal system as one of the important things that sets Canada and the USA apart. It’s worth fighting for – now if only our government would remember who it’s supposed to be serving!
What’s Next
So, as this is the ‘thin end of the wedge’ how can it be stopped? I like your news, views and opinions Michael but you aren’t covering what should be done!
I imagine sending letters to our local MPs would be a good start: anyone got any sample letters?
Who else should we write to?
The “Governator” himself as well?
I see this legislation as a complete waste of time for all parties involved. For the record I do not download movies, I love going to the theatre. But I have family members who do. Nearly nothing in their collection is a cam corder capture. The ones that are seem to have Arabic subtitles. Certainly they didn’t come from the local cineplex.
This, unlike the legislation sure to follow, is a simple, useless piece to placate America. I fear the day they actually pass something that actually affects us.
I hope our law members stop slurping up everything the USA feeds them, and do some research for themselves before cow-towing to more stupid requests for laws from our “Big Brother” neighbour.
The USA comes to Canada and claims we are the Mecca of copyright infringement, and that it is largely the work of drug dealers and organized crime. I guess YouTube is organized crime now. I guess the mafia invented torrents.
Then they go to Russia and tell Russia that Russia is in fact the real source of all pirated things.
Then on to China and various African countries, to say the same thing.
The sad truth, even according to US statistics, is that despite all the draconian/anti-free speech style legislation passing in the USA, they remain the single largest contributor to shared, copyrighted entertainment. They cannot even clean up their own back yard with their own legal system that they fully control, but have the audacity to come to us and tell us to change ours!!