Post Tagged with: "copyright for canadians"

Is Prentice’s Copyright Bill Born in the U.S.A.?

The Hill Times runs a special op-ed (HT version, homepage version) in which I note that while the influence of the U.S. government in crafting a Canadian version of the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act has been a recurring theme, what has gone largely unnoticed is the role that some Canadian lobby groups have played in quietly encouraging the U.S. to step up the pressure. Indeed, according to documents recently obtained under the Access to Information Act, last spring Canadian Recording Industry Association President Graham Henderson met with Wilkins' counterpart – Canada's Ambassador to the United States Michael Wilson – to encourage him to pressure both governments to prioritize U.S. style copyright reforms.

February 4, 2008 — Comments are Disabled — Columns

The Conservative Copyright MPs – An Update

My recent Copyright MPs posting generated a considerable amount of attention along with a number of suggestions of how it could be improved. These included adding ridings with large colleges (who often offer many technology-focused programs), more clearly identifying those ridings where the incumbent does not plan to seek re-election, and focusing more intently on the Conservative MPs, given that they will be the most directly affected by a Canadian DMCA.

While I will focus on the other parties – particularly if/when a new bill is introduced – for the moment it is the Conservatives that are on the hot seat on copyright given Industry Minister Jim Prentice's plans for a Canadian DMCA. With that in mind (and with the additional caveat that I think all MPs will hear from their constituents on copyright), the updated list of Conservative Copyright MPs from West to East is posted below. To qualify as a Copyright MP, the MP needs to have won the riding in the 2006 election by 10 percent or less and have a university or college in the riding. Only colleges with over 5,000 students are included.

February 3, 2008 — 9 comments — News

The Conservative Copyright MPs – An Update

February 3, 2008 — Comments are Disabled — Stop CDMCA

Two More Opponents of Prentice’s Canadian DMCA

The list of opponents to Industry Minister Jim Prentice's Canadian DMCA continues to grow. I've already noted that the bill is likely to be opposed by thousands of Canadians, librarians, teachers, universities, musicians, artists, film makers, consumers, digital security companies, major retailers, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, and the Canadian […]

January 31, 2008 — 1 comment — News

The Canadian DMCA: A Summary To-Date

As the likelihood of the introduction of a Canadian DMCA increases, I've received a large number of requests for a brief summary the issue and the mounting concerns. This is not easy given copyright's complexity, but it is important to ensure that more Canadians better understand the issue.

My short version would be that there is concern with what the bill is likely to contain (modeled after the U.S. DMCA which has had a negative effect on innovation, privacy, education, and research), what it is unlikely to contain (nothing on fair dealing, time shifting, device shifting, the private copying levy), and how it came about (no public consultation, strong-armed pressure from the U.S.). As for what reforms we should have, I think my eight Fair Copyright for Canada principles are balanced and meet the goal of complying with the WIPO treaties.

For those that want to dive a bit deeper, I'd recommend the following five posts:

Want to get involved? Here is my list of 30 things you can do, which includes joining the national Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook group and a local chapter. Copyright for Canadians has even more comprehensive list.

Want to dig even deeper?

January 28, 2008 — Comments are Disabled — Stop CDMCA