Canada Says No To DMCA 590
P Starrson writes "
The Canadian government has reportedly said no to the DMCA. It
released its plans
for copyright reform today with a limited anti-circumvention provision
that would not cover the likes of DeCSS. It even avoided the U.S.
"notice and takedown system" that has caused a big headache for U.S.
ISPs. A good summary is available from Canadian law professor Michael Geist. "
Good step? (Score:5, Insightful)
Freedom! (Score:5, Insightful)
w00t! (Score:4, Insightful)
Lesson from Europe (Score:5, Insightful)
Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom (and its a PITA).
Huh... (Score:1, Insightful)
Seems a bit risky, considering their close proximity to the US and the tendency for US to invade other countries.
Broad Language... (Score:3, Insightful)
I think we'll see many mp3z.ca type sites popping up. When canada opens up decent-sized hosting, someone's going to abuse it from afar (outside of Canada's jurisdiction). A Japanese pirater will use Canada's hosting (which will probably grow due to the lax liability laws) to serve to American consumers. The pirate network will never die, it seems...
Canada ... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:So When Piracy Causes The End Of Freedom.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Good step? (Score:3, Insightful)
The DMCA was not designed to put the government's nose into every aspect of your life. I was designed by content providers/creators to help them enforce their perceived rights as copyright owners in the face of what they saw as an attack.
It's not The Big Bad Government trying to nose its way into our lives, it's one group of people (content providers/owners) trying to make sure that what they perceive as their best interests are protected through the law.
That doesn't make it right of course, but you should really direct your ire at the right people, it's much more constructive.
Re:So When Piracy Causes The End Of Freedom.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah, a grow op of 20 plants on the property of a man with nearly a dozen charges of assault, uttering threats, threatening a police officer, firing a gun within city limits, driving infractions, and who was known to be less than stable. He'd sworn, on several occaisions, to kill people who angered him. The guy was a nut job, and in spite of all this, he had no problems buying all the guns he wanted from the government. Blaming this on weed is like blaming World War II on the German sausages causing indigestion.
Money (Score:2, Insightful)
--
Want a free iPod? [freeipods.com]
Or try a free Nintendo DS, GC, PS2, Xbox. [freegamingsystems.com] (you only need 4 referrals)
Wired article as proof [wired.com]
Re:Huh... (Score:2, Insightful)
But back on topic, since I'm Canadian myself, it's always nice to see my country not mimic our southern neighbour. Canada and the US are too similar already.
Re:There's only one option left (Score:2, Insightful)
Not really (Score:5, Insightful)
In other cases, Politicians will do something as a cause and try to make it look like they are doing the right thing, when in reality they know it is wrong, but simply wish to have something for the election.
Canada Sucks! (Score:0, Insightful)
Cue all the posts from USers wanting to emigrate.
Don't move here!
Re:Good step? (Score:5, Insightful)
Last time I checked, I thought the government was supposed to preserve fundamental Constitutional rights, not pass a new law when some lawmaker has to take care of those who donated to their campaigns.
Simply put, people will try to do things to put themselves at the top, but it's the governments fault for allowing itself to be manipulated.
I think Thomas Jefferson would be crying right now
Re:Some of the text (Score:5, Insightful)
This is kind of sad. Ok, it may not be a DMCA-like reform we are heading toward, but it still eats away a chunck of my fair-use rights. I mean, now I won't have the right to circumvent DRM-protected files so I can play them on linux? In the future, if they begin to sell DRM-crippled CD's and CD player, I won't have the right to circumvent it's DRM scheme so I can put the music on my iPod (as an example only)? The rest seems to have reach a good balance, but this one I do not like how it sounds.
So ok, things like DeCSS won't be illegal in itself, but using it to rip my DVDs to my harddrive will so I should rejoice why exactly? Because it is not has bad as in the US? It's not as bad so it is ok? Way to go...
Sorry for the rant, this just frustrates me a lot.
Re:Good step? (Score:5, Insightful)
If you assume somebody is being evil just for the sake of being evil, it's more likely their motive is selfish and you just don't know yet what they're trying to get. That doesn't mean they're not evil.
Re:Good step? (Score:2, Insightful)
Correction! Replace "government" with "voter"... please! While you're at it, replace "itself" with "themselves". Then you will have an irrefutable statement.
Re:Good step? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:So When Piracy Causes The End Of Freedom.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Not really. Think about it.
Scenario 1: Pot is legal. You grow pot. You sell pot. You smoke pot. You pay your taxes and uphold the law. The cops don't bother you.
Would you shoot a cop?
Scenario 2: Pot is illegal. If you are caught selling it, you get a large fine and possibly some jail time. If you are caught using it, you get a small fine. You grow pot. You sell pot. You smoke pot. Cops have been tipped off and are coming for you, and if you get caught you face a $20,000 fine up to a year in jail.
Would you shoot a cop?
Scenario 3: Pot is illegal. If you are caught selling it, you go to jail for 20 years. If you are caught using it, you are sent to jail for 3 years. You grow pot. You sell pot. You smoke pot. Cops have been tipped off and are coming for you, and if you get caught you go away for the rest of your life.
Would you shoot a cop?
It appears, because of this event, that they will be shelving legistlation to reduce the penalties involved in marijuana. Does anyone else think this is really stupid, or is it just me?
Re:I AM (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Nice (Score:5, Insightful)
I know you were probably joking, but why let an opportunity to correct a misconception slip by?
Re:No to DMCA? WTF? (Score:2, Insightful)
The removal of or tampering with such measures for the purpose of infringing copyright will itself constitute an infringement of copyright.
You can't get charged just for bypassing DRM. That can only happen if you do so for the purpose of infringing copyright. i.e. copying in a manner that is not fairuse. (contrary to what poster above believes)
Re:So When Piracy Causes The End Of Freedom.... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:The grass is always greener on the other side (Score:4, Insightful)
Now, the last thing I want to do is give somebody a reason to invoke Godwin's law, but for crying out quietly, 30 years' worth of extradition requests and we only now get rid of the jackass?
Free Speech (tm) exists in Canada, and I have *never* had cause to believe that we're more draconian than anybody else. For one thing, we never produced a Joe McCarthy....
That's very nice for Canadians, BUT... (Score:3, Insightful)
They're not. Not the big labels at least. http://www.ram.org/ramblings/philosophy/fmp/albin
MOD PARENT UP (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:So When Piracy Causes The End Of Freedom.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Of course the RCMP are playing up the pot as much as possible since it is in their vested interest for the current laws to remain and/or tougher laws to be on the books. They were among the first to put up a stink when the government said it was looking to lessen charges involving weed.
All for a plant that some guy in the 20's didn't really like and he used a bunch of false information to make it illegal. Reefer Madness anyone?
It is a plant! I cannot believe we as a species are so holier than thou that we think we can declare entire plant species as "illegal". Pathetic waste of tax monies enforcing it and it amounts to little but a make work project for those in society who believe they have the right to dictate what others can and cannot do to their bodies.
Nobody has overdosed and died from smoking weed, meanwhile thousands die every year from alcohol poisoning, go figure.
And soon... (Score:5, Insightful)
Even bankruptcy won't help, as Congress is about to vote April 6th on the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005.
Aptly named, the act "protects" banks and lenders from those nasty middle-class comsumers who lose their jobs, whose families break up, and who suffer unforeseen medical emergencies.
Blame Clinton! (Score:2, Insightful)
Clinton accepted that most of the good manufacturing jobs would move overseas. America's strength, as he saw it, was in intellectual property. Therefore, a vote to strenghten holders of copyrights was in America's interest, right?
Oops.
Signing this was one of his biggest blunders after his support for deregulating radio and welfare reform.
Re:Bad Example (Score:4, Insightful)
Would anyone notice? (Score:5, Insightful)
The border is already effectively closed as far as I'm concerned. The USA has REPEATEDLY lost their battles over softwood tariffs and beef import restrictions and yet the politicians down there are still blocking imports by simply throwing up new laws/rules that they *know* will eventually be struck down again. NAFTA is a complete failure from the Canadian perspective as the "free flow of goods and services" is apparently only a one-way deal.
There is a growing sentiment up here that we should no longer offer the USA preferential access to our natural resources. If you don't want our lumber or our beef, why should we be paying high electric rates to subsidise California? Why should we be shipping our fresh water south by the truckload?
I (and many other Canadians) have stopped going to the USA on vacation. I now give my tourist dollars to countries in Asia, Europe and elsewhere.
Free speech (Score:5, Insightful)
An example of free speech: we don't get called unpatriotic and/or labelled a terrorist (and thus have almost all personal rights revoked) for saying that our political leader is a dickhead. I would even dare say that it's a necessity to question the competence of our leaders, otherwise they would get away with worse stuff than they do now.
English Parliament is great... (Score:5, Insightful)
I *WANT* to see all future US Presidents have to defend themselves in front of the US Senate.
I *WANT* to see GW Bush have to defend himself to cross-examination by opposition parties on the floor of the Senate.
So yeah, I do think there's something the US can learn from British Parliament-style government.
Re:Good step? (Score:5, Insightful)
Apropos the article, while the DMCA is pretty intrusive all by itself, EVERY industrialized nation has copyright laws that intrude heavily into the informational aspects of our lives. No exceptions. I don't care if it's an inch or a foot, I don't want that camel's nose in my tent at all!
This news should be cause to praise Canada, and not to bash the US. Canada might now have a tiny shiny spot on its pot, but that pot is still pretty damned black to be pointing out kettles with.
Re:Good step? (Score:3, Insightful)
So exactly how can we as voters have any influence? Voting doesn't work anymore. Our "representivite democracy" doesn't represent the common person anymore. The only way to get something done in the government is to have millions of dollars in bribe money.
Re:Good step? (Score:3, Insightful)
Not bad politics - Politics are bad (Score:3, Insightful)
Unfortunatly, good politics and what is good for the people seldom intersect and politicians of course will go with good politics almost everytime.
Re:Good step? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Would anyone notice? (Score:3, Insightful)
Because, thank the proverbian god, the Conservatives got kicked out before they sold Canada's water by river/channel-full. Look at the James Bay crap. Then earlier in the 60s there was the NAWAPA proposal.
Even now, G.W.B. wants to buy Canada's water in bullk. http://greatlakesdirectory.org/zarticles/101702_gr eat_lakes3.htm [greatlakesdirectory.org].
In NAFTA, it states that bulk water is not covered. BUT if Canada starts selling bulk water, we cannot stop (under NAFTA). That's why a company selling bulk water to Middle East (oil to us, water to them) got shut down by the government.
Let's hope that the current brand of Convatives (political party of canada) do not ever get a majority. They might just sell our most important asset. Brian Mulroney sure tried.
Analgesic, not a headache! (Score:4, Insightful)
ISP's did not consider the notice and takedown system a headache -- they negotiated for the provisions as a condition of their patronage of the bill!
The reason is simple: ISPs NEVER have to be liable for infringement of its users. A service provider is not responsible for certain user infringements unless and until it receives notice. Then, it is absolutely free of liability (including liability to the user for wrongful takedown) if it takes down the noticed content.
I'm not saying its a good thing, mind you. I'm saying that ISPs bargained for and like these provisions.
Re:Would anyone notice? (Score:3, Insightful)
I used to think the conservatives would probably screw everything up pretty bad. Then I moved to Australia for a year.
Now I know the conservatives will screw everything up really bad. The conservative equivalent party here has completely destroyed the country.
Everything that has been privatised got far worse because of it, you have to pay for everything, but.. they still get taxed to hell. The private health care company (singular, not plural, for the record) is actively screwing me out of twice the money they should have taken, and getting my money back is proving almost impossible.
The government is completely fucking the people out of all their money and giving them nothing for it, it's amazing. Living in Canada is so so much better. (Disclaimer: government wise. The people and everything here are great. Government != people)
Want to vote conservative? Move to the states and stop trying to destroy our country, thanks.
Re:ZED? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Nice (Score:2, Insightful)
Finally, I think that the article that you linked to demonstrates the main problem in the Canadian system: a lack of man power. You can buy all the MRI's you want, but if you haven't trained sufficient radiologists to read them, or technologists to keep the machines running, then there will still be waiting lists. The governement really has to boost the number of training spots at universities to train the needed staff.
Re:Read the fine print (Score:3, Insightful)
"Fucking Yanks".
That's what Canadians instinctively think when they hear comments such as yours. "Banana Republic, Guam, Puerto Rico". Oh, how we drool at the thought of being associated with these stellar examples of democratization, liberty and equality that the U.S. has produced.
You walk your walk and talk your talk now while you have a bit of bounce in your step. Do you really think Canada - or the world - exists purely to satisfy the needs of the U.S? Do you think you'll just invade countries and plunder what you what? Are you really that arrogant? Do you think a pendulum only swings one way? Or are you just assuming an American {New World Order | Manifest Desitiny | Reich} lasting a thousand years?
You belittle Canada's not insignificant contributions to operations in Afghanistan. (You even bombed our fucking soldiers!) You glibly predict the separation and 'assimilation' of one of the worlds leading democracies. You're just gonna 'take' our water whenever you decide you need it.
"Fucking Yanks".
No surprise at that sentiment. Man, I grew up adoring your country. Now I think that you're just pissing it away - and even worse - no one seems to give a shit. Keep it up with the hubris. I'm sure it will go a long way in appeasing the world that 'Aw, shucks. We're a peaceful, God-fearing country. We just needed a lttle [insert commodity here] is all'.
Re:Actually... (Score:3, Insightful)
No, it's GREAT politics. It's very POOR leadership. Politics is about selling your soul to the highest bidder. Leadership is about doing the right thing, even though your "friends" with the deep pockets might not like it. We many great politicians in this country, but very few leaders.
Re:Good step? (Score:3, Insightful)
If more people voted, and voted on important issues as opposed to who says they're going to give them more free stuff, Democrats and Republicans would no longer be able to get away with being the same
How many times is this statement going to get a +5 on slashdot?
Are Democrats and Republicans automatically the same because your pet issue (copyright) isn't at the top of the national agenda?
How can you say they are the same when you look at the respective issues on abortion, the war in Iraq, progressive taxation, social security reform, election reform, capital punishment, environmental policy, church/state separation, etc. etc.?
If you feel a little bit bitter because of the DCMA, then perhaps you should put the blame at the feet of the lobbyists and ill informed Congress-critters on both sides of the aisle (not to mention the ill informed executive that signed it). To say that Democrats and Republicans are the same is an insult to people on both sides of the aisle.
Re:Bad Example (Score:3, Insightful)
Most of us won't get any serious profit from our writing, but he does.