While Industry Minister Jim Prentice has sought to project an air of unflappability around the outcry over the Canadian DMCA, it would appear that behind the scenes his staff is working overtime to eliminate any negative comments on Wikipedia. Prentice's Wikipedia entry has been anonymously amended multiple times over the […]
Post Tagged with: "copyright for canadians"
Prentice’s DMCA Indecision
The Globe and Mail reports this morning that the introduction of the Canadian DMCA has now been delayed until next week, though some MPs apparently believe that today is still the day. While the indecision may be attributable to any number of things (the GM layoff announcement, the current pressure on the government arising from the Bernier affair, or the public criticism of a Canadian DMCA and ACTA), the real source of the problem is that Prentice has treated the copyright file primarily as a communications issue rather than as a policy one. From the moment of his appointment as the Minister of Industry, his instructions from the Prime Minister have been clear – introduce a copyright bill and make sure that the U.S. is happy with it. With that, the fear is that the concerns of many Canadian stakeholders have taken a backseat to satisfying the demands of the PMO and the USA.
Over the past two weeks, the plans for introducing the bill have continuously changed. Sources say the initial plan was to get it out immediately after the Victoria Day weekend, press for the completion of second reading before the summer break, and then conduct summer hearings. Now it may be just to get it out, or to wait until next week and do a dump and dash – introduce the Canadian DMCA and make a quick exit to Asia for the OECD meeting.
I would argue that much of this could have been solved with greater transparency and consultation.
Prentice’s DMCA Indecision
The Globe and Mail reports this morning that the introduction of the Canadian DMCA has now been delayed until next week, though some MPs apparently believe that today is still the day. While the indecision may be attributable to any number of things (the GM layoff announcement, the current pressure on the government arising from the Bernier affair, or the public criticism of a Canadian DMCA and ACTA), the real source of the problem is that Prentice has treated the copyright file primarily as a communications issue rather than as a policy one. From the moment of his appointment as the Minister of Industry, his instructions from the Prime Minister have been clear – introduce a copyright bill and make sure that the U.S. is happy with it. With that, the fear is that the concerns of many Canadian stakeholders have taken a backseat to satisfying the demands of the PMO and the USA.
Over the past two weeks, the plans for introducing the bill have continuously changed. Sources say the initial plan was to get it out immediately after the Victoria Day weekend, press for the completion of second reading before the summer break, and then conduct summer hearings. Now it may be just to get it out, or to wait until next week and do a dump and dash – introduce the Canadian DMCA and make a quick exit to Asia for the OECD meeting.
I would argue that much of this could have been solved with greater transparency and consultation.
The Unofficial Canadian DMCA Background Document
Multiple sources advise that Industry Minister Jim Prentice's current plan is to introduce the Canadian DMCA this week, likely on Wednesday. While things could change, it would appear that Prentice's communication strategy is to do as little communicating as possible. Plans for a possible press conference have apparently been put on hold given concerns that the press might actually ask questions and Prentice has even entertained thoughts of shuffling the bill quickly to a committee for summer hearings so that he would not have to deal with the issue all summer long. The Minister will also head for Japan and South Korea late the following week as part of the OECD Future of the Internet Economy conference, so out-of-sight, out-of-mind.
What do we get instead? Likely a press and MP briefing in a lockup just prior to the release of the bill, which will probably happen later in the afternoon (government bills are tabled after 3:00 on Wednesdays) to minimize the opportunity for critical comment in the immediate news cycle. While Prentice presumably hopes that this is a one-day story, my guess is that he is wrong. There is no local open house this time round, but Prentice is planning his annual Calgary Stampede breakfast for July 5th. Further, the OECD is inviting anyone to pose comments or questions about the Internet directly to the Minister on its YouTube page with the Ministers asked to react to the best videos at the OECD conference in South Korea.
Given the apparent effort to control the media spin, I thought it would be useful to anticipate the likely talking points in the Canadian DMCA backgrounder along with a broader perspective featuring things Prentice probably won't say. These include:
The Unofficial Canadian DMCA Background Document
Multiple sources advise that Industry Minister Jim Prentice's current plan is to introduce the Canadian DMCA this week, likely on Wednesday. While things could change, it would appear that Prentice's communication strategy is to do as little communicating as possible. Plans for a possible press conference have apparently been put on hold given concerns that the press might actually ask questions and Prentice has even entertained thoughts of shuffling the bill quickly to a committee for summer hearings so that he would not have to deal with the issue all summer long. The Minister will also head for Japan and South Korea late the following week as part of the OECD Future of the Internet Economy conference, so out-of-sight, out-of-mind.
What do we get instead? Likely a press and MP briefing in a lockup just prior to the release of the bill, which will probably happen later in the afternoon (government bills are tabled after 3:00 on Wednesdays) to minimize the opportunity for critical comment in the immediate news cycle. While Prentice presumably hopes that this is a one-day story, my guess is that he is wrong. There is no local open house this time round, but Prentice is planning his annual Calgary Stampede breakfast for July 5th. Further, the OECD is inviting anyone to pose comments or questions about the Internet directly to the Minister on its YouTube page with the Ministers asked to react to the best videos at the OECD conference in South Korea.
Given the apparent effort to control the media spin, I thought it would be useful to anticipate the likely talking points in the Canadian DMCA backgrounder along with a broader perspective featuring things Prentice probably won't say. These include:
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