The Globe and Mail's Download Decade continues with a look at the ethics of piracy, including a short documentary that asks Canadians to compare copyright infringement with jaywalking and stealing a chocolate bar. The series also reprints the infamous 2007 Pirates of the Canadians article, which played a crucial role […]
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U.S. Congressional Hearing Blames Canada, Again
Howard Berman, the U.S. Congressman who is sometimes called the "representative from Hollywood", was at it again today, leading hearings at the Foreign Affairs Committee on Global IP Theft that quickly became yet another case of "Blame Canada." As implausible at seems, there is a regular sport in the U.S. of claiming that Canada is the source of evil when it comes to IP laws.
At today's hearing, Berman demanded that Canada implement the WIPO Internet treaties, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees inaccurately claimed that " Canadian movie theaters account for nearly 50 percent of all camcorded sources worldwide" and urged Canada to pass legislation similar to the DMCA (Disney Chair Richard Cook noted that the anti-camcording law has reduced Canadian camcording), and Universal Music Group President Zach Horowitz claimed that Canada has the highest level of online piracy in the world, that we are a haven for unauthorized music sites, and that "there is no recourse against online theft." After this misleading and inaccurate testimony, Horowitz then urged the Congessional panel to ask Canadian officials "to explain their reputation as a nation unfriendly to the policies at the heart of copyright and the realities of the borderless digital marketplace."
MPAA Wants Obama To Target Canada Over Copyright
The election of Barack Obama has led to considerable speculation about what the change in administration might mean for U.S. pressure on Canada on intellectual property issues. If the MPAA – the lead Hollywood lobbyist – has anything to say about it, the pressure will only increase. Eighteen months after […]
CTV National News on Movie Camcording
On the day the MPAA reported record revenues in 2006, the CTV National News featured a story (video here) on the U.S. pressure on movie piracy. The story included a brief interview with U.S. ambassador David Wilkins along with a short response from me and a comment from an RCMP […]