Post Tagged with: "copyright"

Crafting Copyright Policy to Create a Competitive Advantage

Last month, the Hill Times ran a special section on copyright and new media. I contributed an op-ed (Hill Times version, homepage version) that linked copyright reform with the government’s emphasis on the Canadian economy. The column noted that one metric for assessing the effectiveness of copyright reform is to consider whether the bill uses the flexibility at international law to establish a competitive advantage when compared to our trading partners. The answer with Bill C-11 – even without the SOPA-style amendments sought by copyright lobby groups – is a mixed bag.

February 6, 2012 — 5 comments — Columns

“Surrender Sovereignty Over Copyright Law”

John Ibbitson discusses the implications for Canada of joining the Trans Pacific Partnership, noting it would likely include surrendering Canadian sovereignty over copyright law. A reminder that the government is currently consulting on the TPP. Details on the agreement and participating here, here, and here.

February 6, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — News

No Internet Lock-Down

Open Media has launched a new campaign against copyright reforms that threaten digital rights including the prospect of website blocking, Internet termination, and digital locks.

February 6, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — News

Beyond SOPA: ACTA, WIPO, and the Global Copyfight

Last week, I delivered a keynote address on copyright issues at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. The talk focused on the activism around SOPA and assessed the global strategies employed by the U.S. and copyright lobby groups of shifting away from WIPO toward closed negotiations such as the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.

February 3, 2012 — 12 comments — Conferences, News, Video

Canadian Music Industry Lobby: Put SOPA Into C-11 Or Stand With Illegal Sites

The reports that the music industry lobby (along with the Entertainment Software Association of Canada and the movie lobby) is seeking the inclusion of SOPA-style provisions into Bill C-11 has generated considerable discussion online and in the mainstream media (CBC, Financial Post). Yesterday, Balanced Copyright for Canada, the group backed by the music industry, fired back with several tweets claiming that opposing their reforms would benefit “illegal BitTorrent sites“and “illegal hosting sites.” Leaving aside the fact that if these sites are illegal, they are by-definition already in violation of current law, the claims point to what seems likely to become a SOPA-like scare campaign that seeks to paint skeptics of CRIA demands as supporters of piracy.

These claims involve two different issues with Bill C-11. The first are the digital lock provisions, which dozens of organizations (including businesses, the Retail Council of Canada, creator groups, consumer groups, and education associations) have argued are overly restrictive. The proposed solution is to link circumvention of a digital lock with actual copyright infringement, an approach that is consistent with the WIPO Internet treaties and has been adopted by trading partners such as New Zealand and Switzerland (Canada even proposed the approach in Bill C-60). These amendments would not legalize hacking businesses, but rather ensure that the same balance that exists offline is retained in the digital environment.

February 2, 2012 — 31 comments — News