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Conservative Party Accused of Copyright Infringement

The Ottawa Citizen runs a front page story alleging that the Conservative Party is being accused of copyright infringement for using a song without permission in last week's video on Liberal spending proposals.  The press conference was led by Industry Minister Jim Prentice.  Warner/Chappell Music Canada has sent a letter to the party raising the issue of unauthorized use. 

17 Comments

  1. Wow, that is just beautiful. Nothing like a bunch of Hypocrites trying to tell me that copyright infringement needs extreme penalties, while they turn around and do it themselves. I hope this gets plenty of press.

  2. MWAHAHAHAHA

  3. Andrew Butash says:

    Oh delicious irony, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

  4. R. Bassett Jr. says:

    OR….
    It’s just another polite way to lobby the copyright cause – “Canada is such a piss poor country when it comes to respecting copyright, even it’s own government breaks their copyright laws”.

    See things for what they are. This was an attempt to apply pressure by embarrassing the government, nothing more. Let us hope that this sort of shallow tactic does not work.

    The fact of the matter is that this sort of honest/innocent infringement happens every day to nearly every Canadian, due to the very nature of our “pop culture” society, that was purchased in US dollars. Practicality alone dictates that such infringements should be ignored.

  5. why not?
    When every one uses music and puts it to a video on youtube!

  6. do as I say…
    I doubt this will be a wakeup call to the Conservatives fixing this bill for Warner and the CRIA.

    Still, Warner really knows how to bite the hand that feeds it, don’t they?

  7. Careful now
    This has nothing to do with Prentice. This is just how things work, and how most people would like it to be. Let’s not be hypocrites ourselves. Maby we should just leave that one alone … although it IS funny. I think that R. Bassett Jr. (above) got it right when he used the words “shallow tactic”.

  8. Not the Last Straw
    In fact I think they did not do anything wrong and anybody should be able to use copyrighted material when there is no intent of any commercial gain. The point is that copyright infringement is as easy as that and with stricter rules (which seems Prentice is eager to introduce) will be even easier and we will be turn in a society of mass copyright infringers.

  9. well he is basically uploading the song to everyone to hear which is infringement, if they kept the add to themselves it owuld not be infringement.
    when you publically put that out , it would be like me downlaoding the song and then uploading it which im told is more or less wrong.
    however i have a taped ocnversation that said when he was last to introduce the bill he has told ISPS that they will have to BAN p2p clients.
    this isnt going to go over and im leaving a provider over it.
    threatening to sue me of use of a program that was free to use is not a good way to keep me as a customer.

    So the 1st victim of this new law will be me.
    Yup a cripple that has no money that was getting some ebooks you can downlaod for free.
    how aobut publicdomainmovies.com
    how about tons a legal torrent sites

    a pencil is a great writing tool, i can tak ethat and stab you in neck killing you. Should be ban all pencils?

    5$ a month read the facebook area on solutions to implimentations, its the only way and globally if done would make them all so stinking rich …….

  10. Making ISPs liable for copyright infringement (if they do not ban their customers) it is like making banks liable of all the way people can make money illegally (drug, prostitution, …). Speaking of drug: since selling drug is considered illegal why can I go in any city corner and buy it?

  11. wiseornotyoudecide says:

    Regardless is wrong
    Though there might be a levi on blank media it will never off set the loss by artist. Everyone knows the levi is for the government officials that break the law themselves anyways. In my opinion music and movies should be protected by the internet providers since they have more control on their servers than government officials on their own assistants. It should work by the internet providers charging individuals for downloading music or movies, and don’t tell me is hard to do, because the technology is there. All they would have to do is look for specific extension so don’t come up with it will cost millions because all the software is there already, the internet providers just need knowledgeable in individuals who can program it or use it. Don’t forget that our economy depends on music and movies to provide work for a large part of our population.

  12. Michael Tyas says:

    Michael T
    Perhaps this will be a “blinded on the road to Damascus” experience for Jim and Steve.

  13. There is no way for ISPs to figure out what P2P computers will be sharing (since pretty soon those connections will be all encrypted). It is time that the record industry and the movie industry jump on board and provide cheap and legal download services. Downloading TV series must be kept free (because of the right of time shifting). We pay already for the TV cable and for all the advertisement embedded in any installment by buying goods since anything you buy has an additional fee for those commercials not matter if you watch them or not.

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  15. I think I hear…
    …the sound of some minor functionary’s head rolling down the halls of Parliament.

    Terribly embarrassing, but I have a suspicion that this was someone not dotting an ‘i’ or crossing a ‘t’.

  16. or a matter of the Cons thinking, ‘hmmm since we are the lap dog of the recording indusry, they won’t sue us.’

  17. Maybe a matter of the Cons thinking, \’hmmm since we are the lap dog of the recording indusry, they won\’t sue us.\’