Tens of thousands of Canadians have spoken out against Bill C-61 over the past month. In addition to the letters, MP meetings, and town halls, many have created mashups, videos, comics, posters, photos, and other creative art to express their disappointment and concern with Industry Minister Jim Prentice's plan for […]
Post Tagged with: "Copyright Canada"
61 Reforms to C-61, Day 18: TPMs – No Exception for Personal Uses
One of the most common criticisms of Bill C-61 is its failure to distinguish between commercial and non-commercial uses. It is becoming increasingly clear that many Canadians believe that they should have the right to use their property – whether music, videos or other content – in a fair manner without the law painting them as infringers for personal uses. Unfortunately, Canadian rarely considers personal uses (the private copying levy is an exception). This is not true for all countries. For example, Lithuania (which has acceeded to the WIPO Internet treaties), includes a blanket exception for personal uses. Article 20 provides that:
It shall be permitted for a natural person, without the authorisation of the author or any other owner of copyright, to reproduce, exclusively for his individual use, not for direct or indirect commercial advantage, in a single copy a work published or communicated to the public in any other mode, where the reproduction is a single-action.
While this kind of provision alone would be welcome under Canadian law (and remove much of the complexity found in the new round of consumer-oriented exceptions), it is noteworthy that the Lithuanian anti-circumvention provisions include a specific exception that preserve this personal use right by requiring content owners to enable legitimate uses. Article 75 (1) states:
Bill C-61 Opposition Mounting in Local Ridings
A little over a month has passed since Bill C-61 was introduced by Industry Minister Jim Prentice in the House of Commons. The bill generated considerable negative media attention and a remarkable outpouring of concern from tens of thousands of Canadians. We are now also seeing those concerns played out […]
61 Reforms to C-61, Day 17: TPMs – No Exception for Court Cases, Laws, and Government Documents
In order for the public to know their legal rights and obligations, access to the law is widely viewed as essential. Yet there is real danger that these kinds of materials – court decisions, legal statutes, and other government documents – could end up locked down using digital rights management. Other countries have recognized the danger of mixing digital locks, anti-circumvention legislation, and legal materials. For example, Sweden's implementation of anti-circumvention legislation tries to ensure access court cases and government documents that are subject to TPMs. Article 52f provides that:
61 Reforms to C-61, Day 16: TPMs – No Exception for Fair Dealing
Bill C-61's single biggest failure is the fact that it does not preserve fair dealing in the digital environment. When I posted my fair copyright principles earlier this year, the very first principle was that no MP would "introduce, support, or endorse any copyright bill that, either directly or indirectly, […]
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