The Writers Guild of Canada posts its views on Bill C-32. While I disagree with several of its positions, it is good to see a writer’s group be honest about the impact of digital locks: The only option that Bill C-32 offers creators is digital locks, which freezes current revenue […]
Post Tagged with: "digital locks"
Opposition Responses to C-32’s Digital Lock Rules – The Video
Video clips from the opposition comments to Bill C-32’s digital locks (along with MP Scott Simms bringing a copy of From “Radical Extremism” to “Balanced Copyright”: Canadian Copyright and the Digital Agenda to the debate):
Where The Parties Stand on C-32’s Digital Lock Provisions
During the consultations, creators told us they needed new rights and protections to succeed in a digital environment, and so the bill before us implements those kinds of rights and protections of the WIPO Internet Treaties and paves the way for a future decision on ratification.
Copyright holders told us that their 21st-century business model depends on strong technological protection measures. And we listened: Bill C-32 contains protection measures such as digital locks to protect against piracy and to allow creators to choose how they wish to protect their works.
The Bill C-32 Debate Begins: Locks, Levies & Misinformation on Fair Dealing
The issue at the top of the Liberal and NDP agenda is digital locks. Both parties (along with the Bloc) expressed concern with the digital lock approach in Bill C-32. The Liberals repeatedly emphasized the need for consumers to have the right to circumvent for format shifting, backup copies, and other consumer activities. This would require changes to both the consumer provisions and the general anti-circumvention provision, since both create barriers to these basic consumer activities. Given that the U.S. now allows circumvention of DVDs for some non-commercial purposes, this seems like a reasonable compromise. The NDP placed the spotlight on the impact of locks on education and teaching, describing the exceptions that require destruction of teaching materials 30 days after the end of the course as a digital book burning.
Against Bill C-32: Creator Groups Stake Out Strong Anti-Copyright Bill Position
Update 11/1: I have received a request to remove the link to the ACTRA document on the grounds that it was posted prematurely. I have been advised that there is not yet consensus among all groups listed in the document on the various C-32 issues.
When Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore told an IP conference last June that only two groups of radical extremists were opposed to Bill C-32, most assumed that he had user groups in mind. Yet as various groups begin to publicly make their positions known, few have been as critical as a creator coalition that includes ACTRA, a writers’ coalition, visual arts coalition, and Quebec artists groups. In a backgrounder on the bill, those groups oppose nearly all the major reform elements of Bill C-32, with the notable exception of digital locks (on which they remain silent).
Just how broad is the opposition? The position paper stakes out the following positions:
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