Ever since the government decided to delay Canadian copyright reform last December, Industry Minister Jim Prentice has relied on the same talking point – "When (Canadian Heritage Minister Josee) Verner and I have reached a consensus and we're satisfied, we will introduce a bill." On Wednesday Prentice was asked about […]
Post Tagged with: "dmca"
Speaking to the Parliamentary IP Caucus
I have been critical of the Parliamentary IP Caucus, so I should be equally quick to praise where appropriate. Tonight I was invited to appear before the caucus and given two full hours to make a presentation and participate in an engaging discussion on copyright. The meeting was well attended with members from all four parties in attendance.
My powerpoint slides are posted below (the first half of the talk covered the same ground as the Copyright Myths presentation I gave a couple of weeks ago). My key messages centred on putting copyright reform in context and getting the key content issues right. From context perspective, I highlighted:
- the need to recognize both the importance and limits of copyright
- the lack of recent consultation
- how Canadian copyright law is not nearly as weak as critics suggest
- why the WIPO Internet treaties provide great flexibility in implementation
- why focusing on copyright may undermine the efforts to address commercial counterfeiting
- how there are many voices expressing concern with a Canadian DMCA approach
I was also asked about my recommendations for reform. I provided nine points:
Conservatives Could Face Long, Hot Copyright Summer
The Hill Times runs a special op-ed (Hill Times version (sub req), homepage version) I wrote that outlines an alternative policy path for the Conservatives on copyright. If the Ottawa rumour mill is correct, Industry Minister Jim Prentice will introduce copyright reform legislation in the next few weeks. The decision to forge ahead with the controversial reform package is a curious one. While the pressure from the United States to act continues to escalate – representatives from the U.S. Embassy paid a visit to the Parliamentary intellectual property caucus last week and caucus members plan to travel to Washington later this month – there are alternatives that would address some of the top intellectual property concerns without subjecting Conservative MPs to a steady stream of criticism throughout the summer from concerned consumers, educators, and businesses.
Canwest on Copyright Reform
Canwest features a story on possible copyright reform, focusing on the lobbying from the U.S. government – including a forthcoming trip to the U.S. by members of the IP Caucus – and the continued concern of thousands of Canadians.
The Conservative Policy on Treaty Ratification in Action
As Industry Minister Jim Prentice prepared to introduce copyright legislation earlier this year, the Conservatives unveiled a new policy that committed to a 21 day House of Commons review period of any treaty prior to the introduction of any ratifying legislation. I argued that this would seemingly apply to the […]
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