There are two very important op-eds today on copyright reform in the Canadian media. Charles Moore, a freelance writer from Nova Scotia, argues in the Moncton Times and Transcript that the "Government is Wrong-Headed on Copyright." The article characterizes the DMCA as "one of the most regressive pieces of legislation ever enacted by the U.S. government" and urges Canadians to speak out against a Canadian DMCA.
At the other end of country, electronics retail giant Best Buy has a noteworthy op-ed in today's Vancouver Sun called Copyright Quagmire. The piece warns against importing "proven policy errors from other countries" and sets out Best Buy's five principles:
- No private copying levy
- No multiple payments to collectives for the same transaction
- Protection from DRM rather than protection for DRM
- Flexible fair dealing
- No lawsuits for private, non-commercial activities
Best Buy concludes by urging "concerned Canadian consumers to join with us and write to their members of Parliament, Industry Minister Jim Prentice, Heritage Minister Josee Verner, and to Prime Minister Stephen Harper himself. They should join the tens of thousands already using Facebook and YouTube to make their voices heard."
The Best Buy op-ed highlights the mounting concern within the corporate community about a Canadian DMCA. While Prentice claims that the CEO's he speaks to want copyright reform, it has become pretty clear that he did not take the time to talk to leading telecommunications companies or big retailers. Those entities not only stand against a Canadian DMCA, but appear ready to urge their enormous customer bases to do the same.
