U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy and Arlen Specter, typically associated with increased IP protection, have issued a public letter to the USTR expressing concern about the current direction of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiations.
Fair Dealing by Giulia Forsythe (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/dRkXwP
Copyright
Copyright Pledge Gains Momentum – Green Party and NDP Candidates On Board
Last week, I posted a 2008 election copyright pledge that focused on three commitments for copyright reform – respecting both creators and consumers, ensuring that any reforms do not undermine or weaken user rights such as fair dealing, and committing to full public consultations on any reforms before introducing a bill and inclusive hearings once tabled.
The initial reaction to the pledge has been very strong. I am pleased to advise that the Green Party (as a party) has agreed to the pledge. In addition, the following NDP MPs have added their names as supporters:
- Charlie Angus, New Democrat MP, Timmins-James Bay, ON
- Olivia Chow, New Democrat MP, Trinity-Spadina, ON
- Libby Davies, New Democrat MP, Vancouver East, BC
- Michael Byers, New Democrat Candidate, Vancouver Centre, BC
- Anne Lagacé Dowson, New Democrat Candidate, Westmount, QC
- Phil Brown, New Democrat Candidate, Nepean-Carleton, ON
- John Chan, New Democrat Candidate, Calgary Centre-North, AB
- Tyler Kinch, New Democrat Candidate, Calgary Centre, AB
It is great to see the momentum behind a commitment to fair copyright reform in Canada (and note that Angus has just issued a press release focusing on NDP opposition to C-61). With just under two weeks until the election, there is still time to raise the issue with local candidates. Raise it today in your riding and let me know if you receive any responses. I'll post an updated list next week. The pledge again:
RCMP Criticizes Canadian Copyright Law
Just as reports surface that five Canadian companies have paid over $175,000 in damages arising from copyright infringing software usage [additional coverage here and here], an RCMP corporal has reportedly told a U.S. legal audience that Canadian copyright law is weak, that the way the courts interpret the law is […]
Privacy Commissioner of Canada on C-61
The Privacy Commissioner of Canada has released a letter she wrote in response in concerns about Bill C-61. Commissioner Stoddart expresses clear concern about the anti-circumvention provisions, noting that: the amendments would allow companies to use digital rights management (DRM) software on media sold to Canadian consumers. These tools have […]
Michael Moore Sends Takedown Letter Over Torrent of Film
Michael Moore has generated considerable publicity over his decision to make his latest film – Slacker Uprising – freely available online. Moore states that you can do whatever you want with the film, but EasyDNS reports that did not stop his lawyers from sending a takedown request regarding a torrent […]
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