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DMCA disaster headed to Canada!

2010-05-05-Canada-DMCADespite a vocal popular opposition to the idea of enacting anything like the lunacy of the US DMCA here in Canada, that’s exactly the type of copyright bill the Prime Minister’s Office plans on introducing this June. Who cares what the People say, when the US speaks, I guess, even if most of what they say regarding Canada as a copyright violators haven is propagandist FUD. Anyways, instead of ranting, here’s the details from Michael Geist’s site, as well as how to get your voice heard!

Months of public debate over the future of Canadian copyright law were quietly decided earlier this week, when sources say the Prime Minister’s Office reached a verdict over the direction of the next copyright bill. The PMO was forced to make the call after Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore and Industry Minister Tony Clement were unable to reach consensus on the broad framework of a new bill. As I reported last week, Moore has argued for a virtual repeat of Bill C-61, with strong digital locks provisions similar to those found in the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act and a rejection of a flexible fair dealing approach. Consistent with earlier comments on the need for a forward-looking, flexible approach, Clement argued for changes from C-61.

With mounting pressure from the U.S. – there have repeated meetings with senior U.S. officials in recent weeks – the PMO sided squarely with Moore’s vision of a U.S.-style copyright law. The detailed provisions will be negotiated over the coming weeks by the respective departments, but they now have their marching orders of completing a bill that will satisfy the U.S. that comes complete with tough anti-circumvention rules and no flexible fair dealing provision.

The bill is not expected until June, but it will have dramatic repercussions once introduced. First, the bill represents a stunning reversal from the government’s seeming shift away from C-61 and its commitment to a bill based on the national copyright consultation. Instead, the consultation appears to have been little more than theatre, with the PMO and Moore choosing to dismiss public opinion. Second, after adopting distinctly pro-consumer positions on other issues, Moore has abandoned that approach with support for what may become the most anti-consumer copyright bill in Canadian history. Third, the bill will immediately impact the Canadian position at the ACTA and CETA negotiations, where the bill’s provisions on anti-circumvention and ISP liability will effectively become the Canadian delegation position [from Geist’s site].

As Michael Geist recommends, sending a paper letter will probably be more effective than signing an e-petition.  There’s a mathematical formula that statisticians use to figure out how many people care about an issue based on the number of physical letters, emails etc they receive, and paper letters carry a lot more weight.

Contact your MPfind the info here!

The Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook page

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5 thoughts on “DMCA disaster headed to Canada!

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