Archive for November 5th, 2010

The U.S. Influence on Bill C-32 Hits House of Commons Debate

One of the most notable aspects of the House of Commons debate on Bill C-32 thus far (debate continues today) has been the recognition by opposition MPs of the influence of the U.S. on the bill’s digital lock rules. In the opening debate, Bloc MP Carole LavallÃ©e argued:

This bill was developed for the big American film and video game companies, and digital locks meet most of their needs. For these big American and European film and video game companies, the government did a good job.

That theme continued in day two of the debate in this exchange between the NDP and the Liberals:

Opposition Responses to C-32’s Digital Lock Rules – The Video

Video clips from the opposition comments to Bill C-32’s digital locks (along with MP Scott Simms bringing a copy of From “Radical Extremism” to “Balanced Copyright”: Canadian Copyright and the Digital Agenda to the debate):

UK To Review Copyright Flexibilities

UK Prime Minister David Cameron has announced plans to review his country’s copyright laws with the view to relax the law to allow greater use of copyright material without prior permission. Cameron spoke of the benefits of fair use to help develop new products and services.